Just when you thought it was hot enough...

[Tuftus]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/4106694.stm

Spotted this on the way to the DIY store this morning, apparently it could be burning for another couple of days...

[Mal]

Is that Springfield?

[Roy MM]

Another picket line fire out of control.

[Mal]

Reminds me about this...

Link & another

[Tuftus]

Nah, Springfield is an estate in Milton Keynes, used to cycle through it every day, never saw the Simpsons tho

This is a local tyre recycling works...

Apparently that pile is 1000 tonnes of tyres!!!

All I can say, thank god the wind was blowing the other way!!!

[fireman328]

Major tyre fires are very difficult to control as the water from fire-fighting jets just runs off. The only way to effect control is to use great volumes of water from diffuser and spray branches to allow the water to evaporate on the tyres, taking the heat out of the burning rubber until the combination of water vapourising to steam and a lack of further fuel causes extinguishment.
It is also imperative to get the fire surounded and drive it back to the area which has already been burned by using even more water to help extinguishment by lack of fuel.
Apart from that it's easy !
When I was In Oldham we had a rubber fire which was stiil being attended for 2 weeks after ignition.

[Tuftus]

Originally Posted by fireman328

Major tyre fires are very difficult to control as the water from fire-fighting jets just runs off. The only way to effect control is to use great volumes of water from diffuser and spray branches to allow the water to evaporate on the tyres, taking the heat out of the burning rubber until the combination of water vapourising to steam and a lack of further fuel causes extinguishment.
It is also imperative to get the fire surounded and drive it back to the area which has already been burned by using even more water to help extinguishment by lack of fuel.
Apart from that it's easy !
When I was In Oldham we had a rubber fire which was stiil being attended for 2 weeks after ignition.

In your experience and from what you have seen and read do you think this was arson?

The Police figured it started at 0915hrs and I took the pics at about 1000hrs and it was one mighty blaze!!!

[greencreeper]

Reminds me of the last time the parents tried having a BBQ The sausages were still frozen in the middle - once you chisled off the charred outer layer

[Graham]

Originally Posted by fireman328

Major tyre fires are very difficult to control as the water from fire-fighting jets just runs off.

Just out of interest, does foam not work on such fires?

[fireman328]

Originally Posted by Graham

Just out of interest, does foam not work on such fires?

It does but to a very limited extent, ordinary foam is used as a blanket to exclude oxygen and requires that the oxygen depletion smothers the fire, however, with tyre stacks and other flammable open storage there is enough air, containing oxygen to allow combustion under the foam blanket to continue. The hot air rising from the fire and general wind and weather also displace the foam blanket.
High expansion foam is only used in enclosed areas as the foam generated is detergent foam and is easily displaced by wind and thermal currents. As I previously stated the only way to control this type of fire is to use water sprays to cool the fuel (tyres) to below the temperature required for combustion.
If you remember from your early school days chemistry lessons, for a fire to start you require :- HEAT, OXYGEN and FUEL, if you take any component out of this a fire generally cannot start.

[fireman328]

Originally Posted by Tuftus

In your experience and from what you have seen and read do you think this was arson?

The Police figured it started at 0915hrs and I took the pics at about 1000hrs and it was one mighty blaze!!!

Very difficult to say for definite what caused a fire when you are as remote as I am. The police and Fire Investigation Officers will take statements but unless there is definite cause or witness to fire starting it is unlikely to warrant a full investigation as would be the case if a fatality. It's all down to available resources and best use of officers time.
The HSE and Local Authority may take an interest but if not the incident will go on file should anything else occur at the same premises.

[Halcyon]

Crikey ! That must have made one hell of a huge black cloud !!!

[fireman328]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/4106694.stm

Photo courtesy of TUFTUS

[Jules]

Must be hell for the firemen working in these hot conditions

[fireman328]

Originally Posted by whyme38

Must be hell for the firemen working in these hot conditions

Yes, instead of reliefs after 4 hours it's best to organise them after 2.5, then order on a an ambulance to stand by and a canteen van to provide drinking water with special sachets of mineral salts to replace natural body salts lost by sweating.
In the long hot summer of 1976 it seemed that every open space and parkland in London was on fire, I had responsibiliy for Wimbledon Common and at one point the wind shifted direction and we all made a run for it. Sadly the Divisional Van which had just delivered more beaters was burned out as we could not get it moved in time, I spent the next month completing all the reports regarding this event !