Huge Wis. tire fire could burn for days

WATERTOWN, Wis., July 20 (UPI) -- Firefighters say a massive fire consuming nearly 1 million old tires at a six-acre recycling facility in Watertown, Wis., could burn for several days.

The wind-whipped blaze broke out at the tire recycler Tuesday, sending clouds of acrid, thick, black smoke 100 feet into the sky. More than 120 firefighters from some 20 departments were trying to douse the fire, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said.

Authorities said the fire could burn for three days up to a week.

A group of 10 local residents filed suit against the Watertown Tire Recyclers Co. in May accusing the facility of accepting hundreds of thousands more tires than the 200,000 permitted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.