Hoffman Estates tire fire still under investigation

It's still too early to tell what caused the blaze at Plote Construction this weekend, Hoffman Estates fire officials said Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the fire at 1100 Brandt Drive, near the intersection of Route 25 and the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, at about 2:50 p.m. Saturday.

At first, firefighters believed that a large piece of heavy construction equipment was sending up clouds of black smoke. But Battalion Chief Thomas Mackie said it turned out to be a pile of old rubber that caught fire.

The rubber was the kind used on railroad crossings, Mackie said. The fire started on what was essentially a dump site, even though it is called the Plote Gravel Pit.

"Garbage trucks dump drywall there, and that is recycled," he said.

Mackie said heavy construction equipment that was near the pile of rubber was moved away.

"Because of all the smoke, it looked like the machinery was on fire, but the machinery was next to the fire."

The fire was allowed to burn until enough resources arrived on the scene to bring it to a manageable size, fire officials said.

Water supply was established with the help of neighboring communities. Approximately 11,000 gallons of water was used to knock down the fire to enable a private fire watch to contain its perimeter. The fire was allowed to burn in a controlled fashion monitored by Plote representatives, fire officials said.

An initial investigation indicated there were no significant structural damage. No injuries were reported.