Tire fire in Jackson could burn through the weekend
By Scott Simmons
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A massive tire fire in Jackson has been burning for five days, causing significant disruptions and posing challenges for firefighters and local businesses.
The fire, which started this past Saturday, Aug. 17, continues to flare up intermittently due to the rubber in the tires acting as fuel.
The Environmental Protection Agency has crews on-site off McDowell Road, monitoring the air quality.
“The traffic out here has been overwhelming and it’s hard for our customers to be able to come in and do business,” said Stephen Storment, of MS Rubber Company. “We were also without electricity all day Monday.”
The high heat of the flames, combined with already sizzling temperatures, are compounding the risks for firefighters. AMR has placed a response team on-site to support the crews.
“Especially the heat, it is pretty warm out here and we are out here to make sure we provide any resources we can while they are out here fighting the fire,” said Eric Phillips, special operations coordinator for AMR.
“What we have essentially been doing is putting out hotspots, and because these are tires and tires take a lot to put out,” said Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Armon of the Jackson Fire Department.
The Jackson Fire Department continues to battle the fire, which is taxing not only on the crews but also on the pumper trucks that need to be rotated and monitored to prevent overworking.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has deployed drones equipped with heat-seeking technology to help identify hotspots from above, aiding the ground crews in targeting the most critical areas.
“We have units here all through the night and we have been putting water on it constantly trying to put these tires out,” said Armon.
Armon said crews are using excavators and bulldozers at the scene.
“They are moving those things around and that is causing it to get more oxygen in certain areas, and that is the reason it is flaming back up,” Armon said.
The fire may continue to burn for several more days, with crews working tirelessly to move the fuel away from the flames.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it could still be burning through the weekend.
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