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1 , PANWHE BURN SITE REMEDIATION On May 22, 1996, the California EPA duty officer requested the U.S. EPA, Emergency Response Office to respond to the tire fire. The U.S. EPA mobilized its Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) consultant and met with fire agencies to determine a course of action. At the time of the fire, the 1 million exposed tires were in contact with the 2 million buried tires because soil was only placed over the top of the tire pile. As a result, the tire fire spread from the exposed tires to the buried tires in the upper canyon. At the meeting, the agencies decided to allow the tire fire to burn and to control and contain the fire and pyrolytic oil runoff. During Phase I of the emergency removal action, the U.S. EPA authorized $200,000 for its Emergency Response Cleanup Service (FRCS) contractor to perform the following tasks: Prevent the pyrolytic oil from discharging into the creek by constructing a temporary check dam at the base of the canyon ➢ Excavate and extinguish the tires under combustion at the interface between the buried tires and the fire Prevent the further spread of the fire into the buried tire area by constructing an earthen embankment to act as a firebreak Several agencies were involved with the fire including CDF, DTSC, California Office of Emergency Services, Fresno County Community Health Department, U.S. EPA Region IX, California Air Resources Board, San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, Department of Fish and Game (DFG), PG&E, and the CIWMB. The fire left approximately 4 acres of steep canyon walls contaminated with burn ash and steel belts. The U.S. EPA's sampling indicated the burn ash contained elevated levels of heavy metals, primarily zinc at 32,000 mg/kg and petroleum hydrocarbons at 25,000 mg/kg. Based on limited exploration during Phase I, the contaminated material appeared to be approximately 1 foot deep on the canyon slopes and 2 feet deep along the base of the canyon. A synopsis of the tire fire is provided in Appendix A, the U.S. EPA Federal On-Scene Coordination Report. 1 .4 Site Conditions Initial reports indicated there were approximately 4 acres of tire ash, 1 to 2 feet deep. The burn tire residue was light gray and was composed of about 50 percent ash and 50 percent steel belts. The ash was extremely dry and hydrophobic (i.e., unable to dissolve in water). Because of the extreme heat from the tire fire, the steel belts were heavily oxidized and brittle. Steel belts, up to one-half inch, ruptured when bent by hand. The pyrolytic oil generated from the tire fire burned as it traveled down the canyon. A small check dam approximately halfway up the canyon held the oil. The pooled oil behind the check dam created enough heat to partially melt the corrugated steel pipe at the base of the check dam. Only a small amount of oil was observed at the outlet side of the pipe. CIWMB 4