Tyre Fire Still Burning Eight Months Later

The tyre-based liner of a former quarry near Sevenoaks in Kent is still burning, eight months after a fire was started by arsonists. The owner of the site, Cory Environmental, had planned to turn the land into a new landfill site.

The 3,000 tonnes of tyres are still ablaze despite the fact that they have been smothered with 16 feet (5 metres) of clay, the BBC reported. The fire could last another three months, according to news sources.

Cory Environmental, said it is working with the fire service and the Environment Agency to extinguish the tyres gradually. The process reportedly involves slowly removing the clay cap, separating the smouldering tyres and extinguishing them individually.

Cory said there should be no adverse effects on the health of people living nearby. “We are gradually putting out the tyre pile as it is being dismantled,” said spokesman Achilles Georgiou. “Water is added and so steam and dust from the clay will rise. There should be no fumes from the burning rubber because of the process we have employed to contain it”.