Iowa City landfill fire won't be slowed by rain

Rain is not expected to help extinguish the fire that has been burning at the Iowa City landfill for the last six days.

Geoff Fruin, assistant to the city manager of Iowa City, said the rain will likely help to wet down the area and contain the fire, but they do not expect it to help put the fire out.

“You know, water in general is pretty ineffective in combating tire fires," Fruin said. "So we certainly don't expect there will be any extinguishing effects."

Though a cause of the fire has not yet been determined, city officials say it likely started when someone dumped hot materials into the landfill, setting the lining -- made of shredded tires -- on fire.

Also Thursday, city officials said they expect the fire to burn into next week, though the intensity of the fire has diminished.

The fire, which started over Memorial Day weekend, has burned 7.5 acres and nearly 1.3 million tires over a period of sixdays.

Drawing on research from similar fires and speaking to other departments, the city has chosen to allow the fire to self-extinguish. However, according to the a news release, the Fire Department has been testing other extinguishing methods used by the United States Fire Administration, including the use of wetting agents and burying the hot tires in ground cover. The city is also working to contain and store runoff created by the burning tires to minimize environmental damage.

The release said the effectiveness and possible environmental impact of alternative extinguishing methods will be reviewed before any changes will be made.

City officials say they also continue to focus on containment of the runoff created by the burning tires. As the tires burn, they produce an oil-based liquid that is being captured in the landfill's drainage system. In turn, that runoff is being captured and stored on-site as officials, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, identify external facilities that are equipped to process this material.

The Johnson County Health Department is still advising people with respiratory and heart conditions to use caution, and garbage collection is expected to continue to be uninterrupted by the fire.