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Chautauqua County Tire Fire
On April 23, 1995 a scrap tire stockpile, consisting of 5-6 million tires,
caught fire in Chautauqua County, New York. The location of the fire was
40 miles southwest of Buffalo, New York. The surrounding areas were mainly
rural and agricultural, but approximately 50 residences and one school
had to be evacuated.(Olson, 4/25/95) The stockpile area covered almost
7 acres of land and had tires piled 15-30 feet high. (Olson, 4/27/95) The
immediate problems caused by the tire fire were mainly dealing with the
plume of thick, black smoke that hovered over the surrounding areas. The
tire fire was quickly contained by county and local highway crews, and
some private contractors.(Olson, 4/25/95) A fire wall, or earthen berm,
was built around the burning tires to contain the flames from spreading
to the other scrap tires. (Husted, 4/25/95) Approximately 2 million of
the estimated 6 million tires actually were engulfed in flames. The Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was called to the site to incorporate
ponds and pipelines to contain oil run-off. Water and contaminated substances
were funneled out of the berm and into containment ponds that were dug
nearby. (Husted, 4/25/95) The containment ponds were lined with chemical
matter to prevent the seepage of toxic substances into the ground.( Husted,
4/25/95) The materials collected in these ponds were removed by tankers
and shipped from the area to be recycled.(Husted, 4/25/95)
Effects of the Fire
The burning tires sent thick, black smoke into the air that could be seen
for miles. Residence in the surrounding areas that had any type of respiratory
problems were asked to evacuate their homes to prevent any possible problems.
(Olson, 4/26/95) On April 24, 1995 the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) was called to the site of the tire fire to monitor and sample air
quality in the surrounding areas. At 2300 hours on April 24, 1995 there
was no significant toxic readings upwind, but within the plume 200 units
on the Organic Vapor Analyzer were indicated. The EPA activated the Emergency
Response Clean-Up Services on April 27, 1995 to uncover the smoldering
pile of tires and smother the burning tires with soil. No water was added
to the fire for fear of increased run-off and contamination.(Olson, 4/26/95)
The Sinclairville Fire Department, the fire department responsible for
the stockpile area, had an emergency plan in case of a such a problem.
(Figure 1) The local officials were well prepared for a possible tire fire
and had an emergency plan also. State and federal officials were called
in immediately and assisted with the environmental procedures. The Environmental
Protection Agency air sample taken on April 29, 1995 showed no significant
readings a quarter of a mile away from the fire. Within the plume there
was a presence of PolyAromatic Hydrocarbons, Benzene and Toluene. These
substances were what the county health officials predicted would be released
from such a fire. Data collected from other tire fires of this magnitude
have showed that hydrocarbons are usually released in significant , but
not dangerous amounts. On May 1, 1995 the fire was officially declared
out and the federal and state services were removed from the site. Soil
samples collected four months after the blaze first engulfed showed only
minor amounts of contamination. The levels were only substantial and didn¹t
call for any clean-up techniques.(Husted, 8/11/95) The tire fire reignited
numerous times throughout the following months, but nothing serious enough
to call in the environmental officials. Fire officials believe the cause
of these reignitions was an underground hot spot that had a strong release
due to a buildup of pressure.(Husted, 8/11/95)
Fire Fighting Techniques
One reason that water was not used to help contain the tire fire was the
possibility of increased run-off of oil substances. Officials believed
that by letting the tires burn there would be less of an effect on the
environment.(Kubera, 4/25/95) They used data collected from other sites
to come to this conclusion.(Kubera, 4/25/95) When tires burn they produce
a petroleum product in the liquid form. If water was added to this substance
the chances of run-off problems would significantly increase. This substance
would then contaminate greater amounts surrounding soil and water samples.(Olson,
4/26/95) Another important reason that this particular fire tire was not
extinguished with water was the presence of a huge aquifer across the road
from the fire. The elevation maps of the surrounding areas show a steep
decline in elevation going from the area of the tire fire towards the area
of the aquifer.(Figure 2) The force of gravity will speed up the oil run-off
process and the addition of water could have been devastating to the aquifer
and other surrounding areas. This aquifer is of major importance to the
entire county and it¹s protection from pollution was a major concern
of all of the involved parties. The aquifer supplies drinking water to
several municipalities in the county , including the city of Jamestown.(Kubera,
4/25/95) The city of Jamestown is the largest city in Chautauqua County
and has a population of approximately 60, 000 people. The Environmental
Protection Agency has found no signs of contamination to the aquifer. The
monitoring of this site is continuous to ensure safe drinking water for
the majority of the county¹s suburban citizens. The contamination
ponds that were dug were arranged in such a way as to increase the oil
run-off before it reached the aquifer. The ponds that were dug did a tremendous
job of diverting the oil run-off before it contaminated the drinking water
of much of the county.
Legal Battle of Responsibility
The problems with this particular tire fire go far beyond the immediate
environmental problems. Legal battles are still occurring concerning the
clean-up of the burnt tires along with the clean-up of the remaining 4
million tires that did not get engulfed in the 1995 tire fire. The original
owner of the property has passed away leaving his estate to his wife. A
task force was set up 10 years ago to try to solve this dilemma concerning
the environmental hazards of a scrap tire stockpile of such a magnitude.
(Husted, 7/21/95) A plan was assembled at this time to deal with the consequences
of a possible fire. The property owners claim that the state and federal
officials involved with this task force provided them no assistance when
they wanted to clean up the site, so they refuse to pay for the clean-up
of the site now. The property owners are pressing charges against anyone
and everyone involved in hopes that a judge will find someone other than
them liable. On June 30, 1995 the state of New York placed the responsibility
of clean-up, restoration, and any remediation that needs to take place
at the 1995 tire fire site onto the owners of the property. The Department
of Environmental Conservation sent a letter to the owners ordering clean-up
action to be taken.(Husted, 7/27/95)
Influence of the Fire
The 1995 tire fire is serving as a ³wake-up call² for other scrap
tire stockpiles in Chautauqua County.(Josephson, 3/6/96) Area environmental
committee members are looking at other tire dumps in the area and realizing
the potential hazards of a possible fire. One stockpile is located closer
to the city of Jamestown in a primarily urban area. If a fire were to break
out numerous homes and schools would be need to be evacuated. The law makers
are working on a plan that would bring in prisoners from a local correctional
facility to assist in the removal of the scrap tires.(Josephson, 3/6/96)
These types of plans need to be placed into action more readily all over
the state and the country. Some type of alternate disposal plan needs to
be put into effect so that the potential problems with air, soil, and water
pollution from a tire fire can be eliminated.
Dangerous Substances Associated with Tire Fires
A small scale simulated tire fires have been the focus of various studies
over the past 4 or 5 years. These studies have been performed to attempt
to determine the toxic chemicals released into the environment during and
after a fire that engulfs numerous scrap tires. The researchers found that
harmful combustion products as well as products of incomplete combustion(PIC¹s)
were emitted into the atmosphere during the burning of scrap tires. (Ryan,
1993) During the study, it was found that the total estimated emissions
of semi-volatile organics ranged from 10 to 50 g/kg of the tire burned.
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons(as seen in the Chautuaqua Co. tire fire) were
the major emitted products of a simulated tire fire. (Ryan, 1993) Increased
levels of lead and zinc were also observed in this study.(Ryan, 1993) The
results of these studies are being used to assist firefighters and pollution
control agencies in case of a possible scrap tire stockpile fire. Guidelines
have been set by The National Fire Prevention Association and the Factory
Mutual Systems Loss Prevention Guides to reduce fire risks and severity
of scrap tire fires. Fire prevention is a major concept that is stressed
by these organizations. Proper storing techniques, access routes, and fire
suppression materials are listed as important scrap tire fire prevention
techniques.
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