SHIELDS, Wis. -- Rain is helping fire crews as they continue to dump water on a massive tire fire in Dodge County at Watertown Tire Recyclers.
Showers are moving through southern Wisconsin today, breaking a long dry stretch. However, showers will be widely scattered.
( Current Conditions/Forecast )After the fire broke out at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, smoke rose more than 4,200 feet in the air and could be seen from both Madison and Milwaukee.
One-third of a building on the ground burned away and collapsed. No injuries were reported, but flames leapt as high as 80 to 100 feet into the air. The fire could burn for several days, firefighters said, and the building at Rich and Provini Road is expected to be a total loss.
Tom Springer, owner of Watertown tire recycling plant, was licensed to hold 200,000 tires, but there were more than 1 million at the site, reported WISC-TV in Madison. The operation has been out of compliance with the DNR and a target of local environmental groups.
Barb Palocek, a DNR solid and hazardous waste specialist, was sitting down with the owner in his office -- which is now gone -- just Tuesday morning.
"I was in the office, making a compliance check when someone ran in and yelled, 'Fire!' We called 911, and it was mayhem," Palocek said.
Now, the DNR must determine what impact the fire will have on the environment.
Since the plant is in a rural area, there are no fire hydrants. Fourteen departments and 120 firefighters implemented a high-tech fire line, running water from Watertown a mile and a half out into the country.
Tire fires are difficult to fight. A Virginia tire fire took months to put down in 1983. In 1999, it took 30 days for a tire fire to burn out in Modesto, Calif.
As the fire continues to burn, members of a local citizen environmental group are saying this was an accident waiting to happen. The Citizens for Safe Environment group had already taken some action against Watertown Tire Recycling.
The group has been watching the number of tires pile up for months and had been trying to get Springer to scale back operations and get in compliance.
"As this pile increased, you went from 200,000 to 1 million tires, we realized the fire department can't handle this," said Mark Lisitza, who lives less than 1 mile from the plant.
Health Officials Advise Residents To Stay Inside
Health officials said the huge plume of smoke is composed of particulate matter that poses an inhalation risk to some people.
The smoke is headed southeast, toward the city of Watertown. Other counties have been notified all the way to Waukesha County.
Health officials are advising people to stay inside as much as possible and keep their windows closed.
All outdoor activities in Watertown were canceled Tuesday night, and although there have been no reports of people seeking medical attention, they're telling people to be careful.
"If individuals have respiratory illness or chronic illness, they should stay inside," said Carol Quest with the city of Watertown Health Department.
Officials are also using some air and ground water monitors to check the safety of the area.
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