Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 22, 1991 TAG: 9103220711
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WAKEFIELD LENGTH: Medium
"The fire is contained, but is not out by any stretch of the imagination," Sussex Sheriff E.S. Kitchen said.
Kitchen said it will take a couple of weeks for the fire to burn out.
The fire at the dump on U.S. 460 in Sussex County sent flames more than 100 feet into the air and produced thick, black smoke, which caused officials to close about two miles of the highway.
"We're investigating it as a suspicious fire, just because it's so large," Kitchen said. "We have no idea at this point what caused" the fire, which started Wednesday night.
The dump was owned by Tri-City Tires, a Chesapeake company, Kitchen said. Attempts to reach company officials were unsuccessful.
Wakefield Supervisor Robbie Owen said officials have worked unsuccessfully with county officials for several years to get rid of the tires.
"It's really disappointing to see [the fire]," Owen said.
About 50 firefighters battled the blaze, and the Virginia National Guard used two Blackhawk helicopters to drop 650-gallon buckets of water on the fire, said Janet Clements, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Emergency Services.
She said the dump contained 500,000 to 750,000 tires and covered about three acres.
Classes were canceled Thursday at Ellen W. Chambliss Elementary School near the tire dump because smoke from the fire could harm pupils and staff members, said Principal W.H. Goodwyn.
Clements said oil runoff from melted tires was contained, but it was too early to tell whether there will be any environmental damage.
A similar tire fire near Winchester started in October 1983 and burned for almost nine months. It involved about 6 million tires spread out over a much larger area than the Wakefield fire.
by CNB