Tyre fire creates black plumes over Meander

This tyre fire brought five fire crews to the scene. Photo supplied

Sharon Webb

FIVE FIRE brigades battled to extinguish a large fire on a Meander property in early March when a log fire reignited in a pile of 400 tyres.

One fireman attending said that the fire had left a one metre high mess of molten metal from the steel-belted tyres.

The Tasmanian Fire Service said property owners Susie and Michael Johnston of Huntsmans Road initially had a permit to burn logs in February.

Ten days later, the fire reignited in a pile of tyres which Mr Johnston said had been previously used to weigh down silage for his beef and sheep farm.

Meander fire chief Grant Flowers said the fire had been dangerous enough for him to initially contact more than five brigades.

Fire crews from Meander, Mole Creek, Westbury, Golden Valley and Prospect attended, accessing the fire from a property on Boxhalls Road.

The TFS confirmed that the Prospect brigade, which would have travelled more than 50

minutes to get there, was the nearest brigade with foam technology to control the fire.

‘It is believed that during the permitted burn, sparks from this fire may have landed in vegetation close to an old disused silage pit, and could have smouldered for up to a week before flaring up in high winds’, a TFS spokesperson said.

‘The property owners contacted Triple Zero to seek assistance from the TFS after attempting to extinguish the fire themselves.

‘The compressed air foam system was brought in from Prospect as that is the most effective way of dealing with tyres involved in fire.

‘They can be smothered quickly in foam which cools them down quickly and assists with reducing the smoke.

‘Each region has CAFS technology that can be called upon to support other brigades if required.’

Mr Johnston thanked the fire crews who attended the fire.

‘They were very professional in their response’, he said.

The TFS said no-one was charged for the fire, which they judged to be accidental.

Tasmanian Environmental Protection Authority director Wes Ford said the EPA will not investigate it.

‘Where there are fires involving waste tyres, the TFS seeks advice from the EPA about any response concerns’, he said.

‘The management of waste tyres in Tasmania must be in accordance with the Approved Management Method for Storage and Re-use of Waste Tyres, which describes permitted numbers of tyres and purposes for re-use.’

The EPA classifies used tyres as a controlled waste.

According to the EPA website, ‘Waste tyres are relatively benign in a passive state but may cause considerable environmental harm if burnt.

‘Fires can emit large quantities of smoke harmful to human health, and runoff of water used for firefighting may pollute soil and water bodies.

‘Tyre fires can also result in destruction of property and have a significant economic cost.’