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■ September 24, 1999 46C ©1999 Stockton Newspapers Inc. e • Record Web site:www.recordnet.com c m M ri inal ch rge po�r m bi tM fm n ir ir By 'b' saw anPredicting effects Record Staff Writers ■ A special team at Lawrence Stanislaus County District Livermore National Laboratory Attorney Jim Brazelton said studies the blaze. Thursday that an environmental — Page A8 prosecutor is investigating the Stanislaus County prosecutors. Westley tire fire and may pursue In addition to determining if criminal charges if it turns out the anyone is criminally responsible property owner flagrantly violated for the fire, Brazelton said Morris state orders to remove the pile. is looking into reports that the Brazelton said he doesn't yet blaze was set intentionally. know who will be the target of "I frankly don't have any idea the investigation. The land was of anything that would suggest owned by fire hauler ;fid Filbin, arson otherr than the ugly word but years ago Filbin sold the tire raised its head somewhere, and pile to Oxford Tire Recycling, run it's probably somebody surmising by Mark Kirkland. something," Brazelton said. "I see Also Thursday, firefighters no evidence of that at all." announced they had contained the John Frith, spokesman for the fire, which had engulfed about 80 California Integrated Waste Man- percent of an estimated 7 million agement Board, said employees a� tires on the 40-acre site west of the Modesto Energy Limited Part- Interstate 5 in Stanislaus County._ nership incinerator and a tire:- The fire was still burning hot, hauler reported that lightning had and the tires were crusting over, set the fire early Wednesday. becoming like molten lava out "There are certain criminal vio= there," said Kelly Huston, a lations that could come into play," gencyspokesman for the county's Emer- Brazelton said. "There are of Modes Operations Center in course all kinds of civil regula- Modesto. Brazelton said he discussed the filetions, some of which carry crimi- nal penalties. It's a wide spec- with Brett Monis,an environmental- gym:, law specialist for the California Brazelton said he has been con- District Attorneys Association cerned about the pile for years. "I whose services are shared by Nor- think everybody, unless they had them California counties. their head in the sand, felt that He said Moms told him he had sooner or later this was going to begun researching a possible case happen," he said. against the tire-pile owners, an effort that will likely later involve Please see TIRE FIRE,AS