Staff Reports
Three fire departments spent more than an hour extinguishing a large tire fire in Garden City.
About 20 firefighters, from Columbus Township Fire and Rescue, and Harrison and Wayne Townships were sent to 510 Kenmill St. near the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds at 12:33 p.m. Friday where an estimated 1,500 tires were on fire in a recycling area at Garden City Iron and Metal.
Firefighters used tankers to haul in water from the fairgrounds to fight the fire, said Columbus Township Fire Chief Dave Thompson. He estimated that firefighters used 6,000 gallons of water to put out the fire, followed by blanketing the tires with foam to prevent rekindling. No injuries were reported.
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Firefighters believe that a cutting torch being used to dismantle cars resulted in heated metal landing in the tire pile, causing the fire, Thompson said.
Since melted and burned tires could be hazardous, the fire has been reported to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bartholomew County fire inspector, Thompson said.
No damage estimate was available on the loss of the tires, firefighters said.
