It's a situation that could change by the hour. People with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors, Padilla said. Tire fumes are toxic. We have a disaster plan that will go into effect if that is what's called for. At San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, emergency room workers were warning residents to stay indoors.
Asthmatics are especially sensitive.
The potential air hazard likely will linger for up to two days because firefighters determined it was best to let the fire burn itself out. This stuff is nasty. Firefighters had not determined a cause of the fire. Early efforts to separate piles of burning tires proved futile, Padilla said. Firefighters from several departments in San Joaquin and Alameda counties watched the inferno and set backfires around the perimeter to prevent it from jumping into adjacent fields.