Coryell County — The massive tire pile in Coryell County is finally getting cleaned up, but not before the community had had at least one last scare. County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Harrell has told Channel 6 multiple times the tires are a fire hazard and would be almost impossible to put out if the area ever caught on fire.
Friday, firefighters halted a wildfire just a quarter mile from that property.
"We really dodged a bullet and of course we are still at risk right here," Harrell said. "The next few days could be real critical. We have to make sure we don't have a flare up or loss of containment."
The tires have threatened the safety of locals for more than 13 years, and those fears were almost a reality when a wildfire began to race across Coryell County last Friday. The Texas A&M Forest Service told Channel 6 the fire was 75 percent contained Tuesday morning and they were no longer fighting it near the property.
Fortunately, a contractor is in the process of removing those tires. The Texas Veterans Land Board, which owns the property, approved a contractor to start cleaning the area one month ago according to Harrell. They have been working at the site three weeks and have already cleared parts of the land and created roads to work.
"They've done a lot of great work out here," Harrell said. "They've got a staging area set up so they can load them up and move them out."
Harrell said the whole cleanup process should last around six months. Signs on the site identify the contractor as O and G Rocks.