Investigator: Tire plant cease and desist order to remain in effect indefinitely

Progress continued Friday afternoon on the tire plant fire off Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway at the Arizona Rubber Recycling Center, according to Maricopa Fire Department Division Chief/Investigator Mark Boys.

In the meantime, Boys noted the cease and desist order he instituted on Thursday against the company will remain in effect indefinitely.

“It will stay in effect until they are brought up to 100 percent code and mitigate any outstanding violations,” Boys said. “We’re getting very good cooperation with the company. I’m pleased with how well they’re working with us.”

Boys said officials were out to the recycling center site a few days prior to the fire to look at some follow up inspections. “They were making some headway on some violations they had been cited on. We’re working very closely with them on that,” Boys added.

A hazard abatement team remains on the scene to dump sand on the fire. As Boys noted earlier today, “Their primary objective is to smother this tire fire and take the oxygen away from it.”

At 3 p.m., Boys told inmaricopa.com that the crews are making some good progress on the fire.

“The plume is much lighter and smaller,” Boys remarked. “The hazard abatement team is dumping as quickly as they can. We’re very pleased with the progress. The air quality control and monitoring is going very, very well. We’re not seeing anything in town except for maybe within a half mile radius of the site.”

Photo by Amy Jamieson