Early yesterday morning (about 1am) a fire broke out at a Tyre depot round the corner from where I work. I drive pretty close to it, about 200yds away.
Firefighters are still on the scene fighting the blaze, from Manchester and Merseyside - this is in the heart of South Yorkshire. Homeowners nearby have been evacuated.
Now, why does it take so long to fight a tyre blaze? The main road nearby has been closed, and an officer stationed at the roundabout to stop anyone entering - he is wearing a chemical breathing mask! All up the dual carriageway through Mexborough, it stinks, and I bet most of the shops in the town centre smell too. Given the "thickness" of the stench, I am surprised there have only been two streets evacuated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/10430823.stm
Yesterday morning, you could see thick black smoke billowing from the site, but now its white, and appears to be hanging in the air, more likely steam, or some byproduct of the foam. But the stench is horrendous.
And why are tyres stockpiled in these backstreet depots? A quick look on google earth can find many of these places. But given the frequency of these fires, lapse security measures to prevent them, and the toxic consequences when they happen, surely there should be some better regulations regarding tyre handling. Why does anyone need 120,000 tyres on one site?
Firefighters are still on the scene fighting the blaze, from Manchester and Merseyside - this is in the heart of South Yorkshire. Homeowners nearby have been evacuated.
Now, why does it take so long to fight a tyre blaze? The main road nearby has been closed, and an officer stationed at the roundabout to stop anyone entering - he is wearing a chemical breathing mask! All up the dual carriageway through Mexborough, it stinks, and I bet most of the shops in the town centre smell too. Given the "thickness" of the stench, I am surprised there have only been two streets evacuated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/10430823.stm
Yesterday morning, you could see thick black smoke billowing from the site, but now its white, and appears to be hanging in the air, more likely steam, or some byproduct of the foam. But the stench is horrendous.
And why are tyres stockpiled in these backstreet depots? A quick look on google earth can find many of these places. But given the frequency of these fires, lapse security measures to prevent them, and the toxic consequences when they happen, surely there should be some better regulations regarding tyre handling. Why does anyone need 120,000 tyres on one site?
