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........... scrept.bac Page 23` at the surface. Heat readings that were elevated in comparison to surrounding ambient surfaces would be indicative of burning or smoldering tires . The readings were taken during the cool night time or early morning hours to obtain a higher resolution in the comparison between heated and cooled surfaces temperatures . The reason the infrared camera failed to detect the heat from underground fires was probably due to the large quantity of soil overburden. Soil is an excellent insulator and a very poor conductor of heat . In hindsight, the soil embankment should have been removed to uncover and inspect the buried tires soon after the area had cooled. V. Recommendations The Panoche Tire Dump Fire The Panoche Tire Fire could have been prevented had there been a legally enforced clearance between the tires and surrounding grassland. Protection against grass fires can be accomplished by maintaining a minimum 40-foot fire break between tire piles and surrounding vegetation as required by The Uniform Fire Code . Had the appropriate regulatory agencies enforced the requirement for completion of the soil cover, the tires may not have been impacted by the wildfire. Fortunately, the operator had completed landfilling the tires located beneath the PG&E Intertie . Otherwise the power lines could have been damaged or destroyed causing widespread power outages . The Big Picture The CIWMB estimated that about 29 million used tires were generated in California in 1994 . The CIWMB had estimated that of the 29 million used and waste tires, approximately 18 million (620) were diverted for various alternatives, including reuse, retreading, and combustion. The remainder, 11 million tires, were disposed of and/or stockpiled at legal and illegal dump sites . Nationally, an estimated 28% of the 253 million scrap tires generated per year were recycled. The remaining 182 million tires were stockpiled, landfilled or dumped by the roadside . The CIWMB has been a leader in promoting tire recycling activities. During the period FY 1992 through 1995, the CIWMB offered over $4 million in grants to local governments and businesses . The grants were used for activities including tire dump cleanups, innovative research for tire recycling, collection demonstration programs and public education. Additionally, CIWMB awarded contracts totalling nearly $2 million for varying program activities including marketing and technical research. Several of the contracts included creating specifications for asphalt rubber pavement, emission testing of tire derived fuel (TDF) combustion at a cement plant, research on pyrolysis projects, uses of tire combustion ash, environmental effects of waste tires, domestic and foreign markets for waste tires and development of a database