Firefighters, aircraft battling tyre blaze

Helicopter water bombers have been called in to drop their payloads on a tyre fire at Melbourne-based recycler Tyre Crumb Australia. An estimated 150,000 tyres – around 70 per cent of the tyres present at the Broadmeadows site – are burning, and more than 100 firefighters have been called in to fight the fire on the ground. Around 10,000 litres of water is being pumped onto the blaze every minute. Local firefighting body the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board expects the fire, which began shortly before 9am Monday local time, to continue burning until at least Wednesday.