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Tire Fire Rages at Illegal Va. Dump

Sun Mar 24,10:56 PM ET

ROANOKE, Va. - Fire broke out in an illegal pile of as many as 4 million

tires and could last for months, officials said.

Black smoke billowed into the air Sunday from the dump covering more than

145 acres about 11/2 miles from Roanoke, a city of 94,000.

Gov. Mark R. Warner declared a state of emergency at the dump Sunday, which

allows the county to use state resources to help battle the blaze.

The cause of the blaze that started Saturday has not been determined, said

Anne Marie Green, spokeswoman for Roanoke County.

About 50 people voluntarily left their homes Saturday but were told they

could return because the smoke was no longer blowing in their direction, she

said.

Tire fires produce toxic runoff when sprayed with water and usually are

allowed to burn out. Officials said they could not estimate how long the

tires would burn, but such fires can last for months. Dams and dikes will be

built to contain polluted rainwater, Green said.

The owner of the property was convicted of operating an illegal dump more

than a decade ago but authorities have been unable to force him to remove

the tires. The county recently received a $1.4 million state grant to clean

up the area, Green said.