Tommy’s Tire Service, a Goodyear dealer that’s been in business on East Union Street for decades, was destroyed by flames that ignited inside a trash bin outside of the building, Fire Chief T.C. Bloxom Jr. said Friday morning. Two passers-by saw the flames around 7:44 p.m. and drove three blocks to the fire station to report it. A Webster Parish sheriff’s deputy spotted it at about the same time and called it in.
When firefighters arrived, the fire had reached into the building from a window above the trash bin. "Then it got into the attic, and that’s when we lost it," Bloxom said.
The late Tommy Thompson founded the tire business. His son-in-law, Buddy Ward, is the current operator.
Twenty-eight firefighters from District 10 in Minden responded to the fire, as did an unknown number of other firefighters who responded from 11 other fire departments – Evergreen, Sibley, Dubberly, Sarepta, Cullen, Dixie Inn, Cotton Valley, Shongaloo, Heflin and Bienville Parish Fire Protection Districts 4 and 5.
"The main thing we needed was firefighters," Bloxom said. The intense heat of the burning tires and building, along with the evening’s still scorching heat, taxed the firefighters’ endurance.
Seven had to be treated for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, Bloxom said. All but two went to the Minden Medical Center for treatment, with two staying overnight. Pafford Ambulance set up a mobile hospital of sorts to give immediate aid to the spent firefighters.
The intense fire sent black smoke billowing into the night, prompting a big crowd of onlookers. But Bloxom said he had to express his appreciation to many of those who showed up because they came armed with ice, water and Gatorade for the firefighters.
In addition to dousing Tommy’s Tire, firefighters also had to keep a close eye on surrounding businesses. "But we saved all of them," Bloxom said.
Fire crews were on the scene until midnight, and had to return around 2 a.m. when the rubble re-ignited.
"A tire plant is one of the hardest things to put out," Bloxom said.
