PR0535342 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

sr,rept.bac Page 1 a J,pgfD S74i, 9 'IV W, Y� N�<PR7 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION IX 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco,CA 94105 March 31, 1997 I. Introduction In May 1996, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded to a major tire fire . The illegal tire dump site was located in rural Fresno County, California. Since the 1970 ' s scrap tires had been dumped into a box canyon. In the middle of the canyon the tires were piled up to a height of eighty feet above the canyon floor. Several grass fires caused by arson ignited the tire fire . This was one of the largest tire fires in the State of California involving 1-2 million tires . As is common with most tire fires, especially underground fires, they are extremely stubborn and difficult to extinguish. In this case, EPA had to undertake two separate emergency response actions in an attempt to contain and control the tire fire . The response action involved the excavation and removal of underground burning tires in a landfill area. The burning tires were extinguished with the use of fire-fighting foam and reburied on site . The initial response began on May 22 , 1996 and was completed on May 31, 1996 . An infrared survey indicated no lingering hotspots . Several months later, undetected smoldering tires re-ignited. On September 16 , 1996, EPA activated a second mobilization. The subsequent effort to put out the underground tire fires was completed successfully on September 20, 1996 . The remediation of the burn ash site was undertaken and funded by the State . The remedial action involved the consolidation and containment of contaminated ash and soil in the western end of the canyon and placement of a compacted six foot clay soil cover over the contaminated materials . The remedial activities began on October 17, 1996 and were successfully completed on December 27, 1996 . Since EPA Region 9 did not have prior experience in responding to tire fires, individuals with expertise were contacted. The assistance provided by the State Fire Marshall, the California Environmental Protection Agency' s Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) and the EPA' s Environmental Response Team (ERT) was invaluable . The information from these sources was used to properly assess the potential impacts to public health and the environment .