Large Burnet County fire at tire recycling facility started by machine malfunction

BURNET COUNTY, Texas - A large fire at a tire recycling facility in Burnet County continued to burn for the second day.

Investigators believe they know what started the fire, but are not sure how long it will take to put it out. 

A final report on the fire by investigators in Burnet may take several weeks to complete.

Large fire in Burnet County

The backstory:

On Tuesday, investigators were able to enter the Reliable Tire Disposal site as the fire continued to burn for the second day. 

During an afternoon briefing, Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd said they were able to identify a preliminary cause.

"What we’ve been told is that it was a malfunction in one of their machines. Like I said, it's still under investigation, so I’m not sure where we are on that, but it does look like an accident at this point," said Sheriff Boyd.

The fire started on Monday, June 30, a little before 4 p.m. The tall dark column of smoke that rose from the site in the 3300 block of E SH 29 could be seen more than 10 miles away. 

Quick work by two city employees, who built fire breaks, kept the fire contained, according to Fire Chief Mark Ingram.

"That was incredible. If we had not been able to get them there as fast as we were, it wouldn’t be inside that fence," said Chief Ingram.

A limited evacuation order was lifted Monday night. Hwy 29, which was shut down Monday, reopened to traffic Tuesday with lane reductions.

Sheriff Boyd said this fire is not currently classified as a criminal investigation. He also praised the nearly 20 different fire departments that provided assistance.

"This was an all-hands-on-deck type of situation, and it was handled extremely well," said Sheriff Boyd.

Dig deeper:

Tire fires are notoriously difficult to put out. They’re like mulch fires. They can burn deep and run hot for several days. Flooding it with water isn’t a good idea because that can cause an environmental risk.

"We are going to bring an excavator in and start whittling away at the mound so we can, as he is pulling it out, we can cool it off and get it out. Otherwise, we will have to let it burn," said Chief Ingram.

Several loads of foam have also been applied, practically depleting the supply from surrounding fire departments, but more is on the way. 

Air quality around the site is also being monitored by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"There were not able to get any readings on anything hazardous. However, we’d like folks to exercise caution, especially if you live down wind from this," said Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio.

Tire facility's previous citations

Dig deeper:

Reliable Tire Disposal has received multiple citations in the past from the state. 

The TCEQ online database showed violations that include: too many tires on site, failing to maintain copies of a fire plan, and not properly monitoring storm runoff. 

Burnet