Several fire departments from around the area have been battling a fire in Sale Creek since early this morning.
According to reports, a 911 call went out at 12:45 a.m. this morning, reporting a fire at 326 Retro Hughes Road, the site of a fire last week.
A chicken house and a large amount of tires were fully involved when the Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department arrived. The department immediately called for assistance. More than eight departments have responded.
As of 5:15 p.m. today, the mound of tires – 375 feet by 50 feet – continues to burn. The chicken house fire has been contained.
“We will work through the night,” Hamilton County Emergency Services Chief Tony Reavley said. “Firefighters will be working four-hour shifts and have every shift covered until tomorrow at 11 a.m.”
Tennessee State Forestry Division was called in for two bulldozers and Hamilton County Highway Department was called in with a track hoe to move the layers of burning tires so fire units could spray foam to try to extinguish the fire.
The fire has been expensive for the county, according to Hamilton County Emergency Services Public Information Officer Amy Maxwell. The county had to spend $25,000 to buy firefighting foam from a Georgia company and will probably need more, she said.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and is under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office