Earlier this week, a large swath of truck tires burst into flame near the Melbourne, Australia suburb of Broadmeadows. The result was a toxic, tough-to-extinguish fiery mess, forcing residents to shut their doors and windows to avoid inhalation.
Firefighters and water-dropping helicopters arrived on the scene once 150,000 tires had been set ablaze. Because the fire was so massive and tires tend to burn endlessly, it was a large task for the crews consisting of over 100 firefighters to extinguish the blaze. And the billowing cloud of toxic black smoke could be seen from 75 km away.
“Even though we’re making a dent in the fire,” said Fire Brigade Deputy Chief Officer, Andrew Zammit, “this will have a presence there for the next 24 to 36 hours.”
And while the authorities are investigating what caused the blaze, they do believe it wasn’t under malice.
Burning tires has long been known to lead to myriad toxic banes. The thick dark smoke has a huge negative impact on the environment. And it has also been linked to health concerns including asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory issues.
The large tire fire seen via air from far away. Photo: odn
