A fire that started Wednesday afternoon at the Sandone Tire warehouse in Scranton, Pa., could be burning for days, according to the local fire chief.
According to local reports, officials said between 4,000 and 5,000 tires are on fire at the warehouse, which houses roughly 20,000 tires. Firefighters have been battling the blaze since 5 p.m. Wednesday, a task that has proven difficult because the building is old and insulated mostly with cork and sawdust, keeping the heat in.
Scranton Fire Chief Patrick DeSarno told WNEP Channel 16 that the fire was reported when smoke came from the elevator shaft, but after hours of putting water through the windows and searching, firefighters could not locate the fire itself.
After power to the elevator was turned off, firefighters were unable to reach the upper floors in the building, so they could only fight it from the outside, chipping away at the bricks to get access, WNEP reported. The building’s roof collapsed around midnight.
DeSarno said the fire could be burning for days.
Click here for WNEP’s full report with photos.
