Maricopa tire fire under control, smolders under layers of dirt

MARICOPA, AZ - A large tire fire at a recycling facility is under control Tuesday morning after crews buried it beneath layers of dirt.

The fire broke out at the Arizona Recycling Center around 7 p.m. Monday.

Fire crews battled the blaze for five hours before bringing the flames under control around midnight.

The 10,000 square foot fire could not be extinguished with water, so crews used earth movers to bury it beneath three to four feet of dirt.

The fire still burns beneath the dirt but the flames are not visible and firefighter Brad Pitassi said it poses no threat to public safety.

The cause remains unclear, but investigators are expected to return to the site Tuesday to figure it out.

Crews have reportedly responded to the recycling plant for at least two previous fires, including a large blaze in 2007 that burned for seven days. Cleanup following the 2007 fire had just finished, according to Pitassi.