Days Later, Tire Fire Still Burning in N.C.

Feb. 28--Smoke was still billowing from a massive tire fire Monday, four days after firefighters first began battling it.

Emergency Management director Ronald Bass said despite firefighters having to go back to the site, located on Harnett Church Roadnear Autryville, Saturday, the fire was contained. It started around 9 a.m. Friday.

"It was so large that it has to just burn off," he said. "There was a lot of tires."

Bass would not speculate as to how many tires were burned in the fire, but noted that firefighters have monitored the site since Friday evening.

"They went back out Saturday and then watched it all weekend to make sure it was a controlled burn," he stressed.

Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Bass said the owner of the roughly two acres of land that was burned was Jerry Lucas.

"He doesn't live in the immediate area," he said of Lucas. "But he was informed about the fire. He didn't know how many tires were there, but it was a very large number."

Firefighters from every department in the county, as well as Dunn and Cumberland County, came to help with the blaze Friday morning.

Harnett Church Road traffic was cut off at High House Road by members of the N.C. Highway Patrol, who were assisted by the Sampson County Sheriff's Office, just as the fire began. In addition, the N.C. Forestry Service, Emergency Management employees, N.C. Department of Transportation workers and Sampson County's Mobile Command Unit are came to help out.

No injuries were reported, Bass said.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or email to [email protected].

Copyright 2012 - The Sampson Independent, Clinton, N.C.