In 1999, a lightning strike ignited a tire fire in Westley, California.
The tire storage facility where the fire occurred is now being cleaned-up as a Superfund site. The fire burned for nine months, polluting nearby water sources with lead and arsenic. In 1983, a 7-million tire fire in Rhinehart, Virginia issued a plum of smoke 3,000 feet high and nearly 50 miles long with air pollution emissions deposited in three states.For more information on toxic air pollutants generated by tire fires, go to EPAs Toxics Air Pollution website. Air emissions may include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, styrene, phenols, and butadiene. This oily material is also highly flammable.Īir pollution is also produced by tire fires. For every million tires consumed by fire, about 55,000 gallons of runoff oil can pollute the environment unless contained and collected. In some cases, this may trigger Superfund cleanup status. Oil that exudes into ground and surface water as a result of tire fires is a significant environment pollutant. (Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association, April 2003) The average passenger car tire is estimated to produce over two gallons of oil when burned. However, if a tire fire occurs, tires break down into hazardous compounds including gases, heavy metals, and oil. EPA, states, municipalities, and private companies have spent millions of dollars cleaning up tire fires across the country.ĮPA does not consider scrap tires a hazardous waste. These fires threaten pollution of the air, soil, and water. Tire fires often become major hazardous incidents affecting entire communitiesfrequently requiring neighborhood evacuations and long, drawn-out fire extinguishing operations. Tire fires, although infrequent, are serious situations that are difficult to extinguish and expensive to clean-up.
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