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FIRE Gene LeBlanc said. In January, the Integrated Waste Had firefighters doused the Management Board passed the burning tires with water, the toxic case along to the San Joaquin Continued from B1 chemicals contained in the tires County District Attorney's Office, tire stack, Brooks said. One tire could have seeped into ground- records show.The district attorney's fire in Winchester, Va., burned `Fater supplies, Brooks said. office, however, referred the rase to continuously for nine months in But Royster's failure to comply the state attorney general's office with state regulations may have because of a conflict of interest. 1983, records show. Once the flames die down com- been what kept firefighters from "The district attorney felt there containing the flames in the first was a conflict because of a past pletely, investigators from the EPA place, Lamoureux said. personal relationship with Mr. and the Integrated Waste Since 1994, state law has man- Royster," said Assistant District Management board will examine dated that anyone who wants to Attorney Jim Willett, a spokesman groundwater for contamination, run a tire-disposal facility must get for the county office.Lamoureux said.That and a study a permit. n order to a or a e attorney of the soil beneath the fire lot are � iIdapply fThgeneral's office filed expected to take a few weeks. permit, business owners must make a complaint against Royster about Right now, however, there is no sure their properties contain certain three weeks ago, asking for restitu- reason to believe any water sup- anti-fire provisions: one is that tire tion for running a waste-tire facili- plies have been contaminated, bundles must be separated to ty without a permit and violating a officials said. ensure that a single spark can't cease-and-desist order, records show. "This is all just precautionary," ignite the entire load,another is that As a result of all the delays, Lamoureux said. "There are no ample water supplies must be pro- Royster's lot was dangerously vul- immediate threats that we per- vided in case a fire does break out. nerable to fire, officials said. Loads ceive at this time." Because he established his busi- of tires were too close together, and Ironically, part of the reason ness before the new state codes, there was no water available for health officials think the ground- however, Royster thought he fire crews, according to LeBlanc. - water went untouched is that fire- should be grandfathered past the Lamoureux said that had Royster fighters stopped trying to put the new provisions, Lamoureux said. complied with state regulations, flames out once they spread to Neither Royster nor his attorney, there may have been no fire. the tire loads. Brett Nesin, could be reached for "The biggest frustration we have After the fire got going, compa- comment Monday. is that this could have been avoid- nies from the Tracy Rural Fire Royster fought bitterly in court ed," he said. "You hate to say, 'I District decided to let the flames to keep his business open without told you so; but we wouldn't have burn themselves out since there adhering to the new codes,even as had the situation we had today if were no available water supplies state and local officials waffled (Royster) had just done what we've near Royster's property, Chief over who would pursue the case. been asking him to do:'