A commercial tire fire started Tuesday afternoon in southeast Gainesville will burn for the next few days.
According to Alachua County Fire Rescue Lt. James Clifford, a group of workers used a rotary saw to cut down a metal building in the back of Jolo Enterprises Inc., a scrapyard, at 3530 SE Hawthorne Road at about 2:30 p.m.
Sparks from the saw and large piles of tires caught fire, and the building went up in flames.
Clifford said nine fire trucks answered the initial call.
The Division of Forestry bulldozed a dirt perimeter around the fire, and hours later, it burned and smoldered while Clifford and crew, the only fire truck left on scene at 6 p.m., rolled up the last hose. A large pillar of black smoke crept skyward.
"The fire is 100 percent contained," Clifford said, "but it's going to burn for days."
He said considering the amount of tire and debris in the contained area, letting it burn out on its own was the best option.
An Alachua County Fire Rescue Worker packs up equipment at 3530 SE Hawthorne Road after tending to a commercial tire fire Tuesday evening.
