Understanding the Hazard
Rubber Tire
Fire Protection
Tire fires generate tremendous heat and
dense smoke, spread rapidly and are
extremely difficult to extinguish. Storage
of rubber tires without adequate sprinkler
protection is a severe fire hazard to your
facility. FM Global can help you evaluate
the risk your company may face.
UTH topic categories:
n Construction
n Equipment
Fire Protection
n Human Element
n Natural Hazards
n Process Hazards
This series of publications is designed
to help you understand the everyday
hazards present at your company’s
facilities. For more information on
how you can better understand the
risks your business and operations
face every day, contact FM Global.
Storage Fires
The Hazard
Most people don’t realize how combustible rubber tires are and how intensely
they burn. In fact, tires burn with a higher per-pound thermal output than coal.
They also produce highly toxic products of combustion and can yield large
amounts of ignitable oil that can threaten the environment. The average passen-
ger-car tire is estimated to produce about 1 qt. (1 L) of oil. Tire-fire runoff is a
significant pollutant that can seep into groundwater and contaminate wells. It is
no wonder fire services approach tire fires as hazardous material incidents. And,
due to broad media coverage of several recent large scrap tire fires, public percep-
tion of even a small rubber tire fire at your facility could have a negative impact
on your business.
Because of the serious difficulties inherent in fighting tire fires, it is vitally impor-
tant that rubber tires be stored in prescribed configurations with adequate sprin-
kler protection. Automatic sprinklers can control a fire in tire storage, but substan-
tially higher water density is required than for normal occupancies. A well-trained
emergency response team (ERT) also can help in mitigating the hazard of rubber
tire storage fires.
Science of the Hazard
Fire in a rubber object tends to burrow into the material.
The tire’s hollow, toroidal (doughnut-shaped) form allows
flames to grow on its inner surface while, at the same time,
shielding flames from sprinkler spray. Because rubber
vaporizes at a relatively low temperature, a tire fire spreads
quickly. Another factor that contributes to rapid fire growth
is called the “chimney effect.” When a fire starts in a row
of tires, the air inside the stack becomes warmer and less
dense than the air outside and, consequently, begins to rise.
The chimney effect in a As the warm air rises, cooler air from the room is drawn
rubber tire storage fire in, feeding the fire and creating more heat in an ongoing
cycle (see photo at left). Even drafts from open doors can
increase the intensity of the fire and make control difficult. Thus, heat and smoke
vents, if present, should not be arranged for automatic operation.
This brochure is made available for informational purposes only in support of the insurance relationship
between FM Global and its clients. This information does not change or supplement policy terms or
conditions. The liability of FM Global is limited to that contained in its insurance policies. page 1 of 4
What you can do at your facility
Now:
n 
Replace automatic heat and smoke
vents with manual ones. If the law
requires you to have automatic heat
and smoke vents, make sure they are
not the plastic melt-out type. If they
are operated by fusible links, ensure
they are rated above the sprinkler
temperature rating.
n Ensure your employees know what to
do in the event of a fire and train them
to respond quickly. Make sure they
have the equipment they need (dry-
chemical extinguishers, small hoses,
etc.) to extinguish a rubber tire fire
in its incipient stage.
n Control possible ignition sources.
See FM Global Property Loss
Prevention Data Sheet 10-0,
The Human Factor of Property
Conservation, for specific guidelines.
n Maintain proper aisle spaces
and tire-pile widths.
Soon:
n Review your tire storage con-
figurations. Consider switching
from interlaced to on-side or
on-tread storage.
n Fires in rubber tire storage are
very difficult to extinguish. Coopera-
tion and interaction with the public
fire service is essential for efficient
response to these fires. Invite mem-
bers to your facility to develop
a complete prefire plan.
n Request a copy of FM Global’s
Pocket Guide to Prefire Planning
(P9809). This guide will assist you in
gathering information the local fire
service needs when visiting
your property.
The three most commonly used tire storage
configurations are on-side, on-tread and interlaced
(see photos at left). Tires often are kept in open-
frame portable racks, and storage heights can range
from a few feet (meters) for on-floor storage to
more than 25 ft. (7.6 m) for rack storage. Each
configuration presents its own challenge. The pallets
commonly used in on-side storage reduce the chim-
ney effect, but further shield the fire from sprinkler
spray. In on-tread storage, burning is fostered by the
horizontal flue formed by the wheel holes. Interlaced
storage seems to be especially susceptible to another
On-side storage
phenomenon that is a particular problem with rub-
ber tires: fire redevelopment. The steel belts used
in some tires remain hot enough to cause reignition
even after the fire has apparently been suppressed.
If discovered early enough, a tire fire can be effec-
tively extinguished with manual protection. This is
where intervention by a trained ERT can mean the
difference between a minor incident and a major
catastrophe. Dry-chemical extinguishers are effec-
tive because powder can pass into the mass of tires
and control the fire until small hose streams can be
applied. However, if the fire has progressed beyond
the incipient stage, extinguishers generally are not
On-tread storage effective. As a tire fire grows, a huge amount of
dense smoke is generated, initially collecting at the
ceiling. When sprinklers open, the smoke is beaten
downward, making efficient use of hose streams
extremely difficult. Fires that have progressed
beyond the incipient stage can only be fought by
professional firefighters.
Interlaced storage
Understanding the Hazard: Rubber Tire Storage page 2 of 4
What Your Emergency Response
Team (ERT) Must Know
Early detection and effective action
by personnel during the initial stage
of a rubber tire fire can greatly
help reduce ensuing damage.
It is essential your ERT be trained
to do the following:
n Immediately summon the
public fire service.
n If properly trained and the
company’s decision is to do so,
use portable extinguishers and
small hose lines if fire is in the
incipient stage.
n Close all doors and windows
and keep manual heat and smoke
vents closed until professional
firefighters have determined
the fire has been extinguished.
n Operate sprinkler system and
water supply equipment.
n Supervise sprinkler valves after
the system is turned off so the
system can be turned on again
if reignition occurs.
Loss Experience
FM Global loss history clearly shows adequate sprinkler protection, sufficient
water supply and prompt action by an ERT can prevent disaster. Compare the
following examples:
Example 1
A fire occurred in an unsprinklered four-story warehouse constructed of reinforced
concrete. Tires were stored 8 ft. (2.4 m) high in piles 10 ft. to 12 ft. (3 m to 3.7 m)
wide and 50 ft. (15.2 m) long.
The fire started on the third floor and destroyed the entire contents of the second,
third and fourth floors—a total of 80,000 tires and 70,000 tubes stored in card-
board boxes. The roof collapsed, as did an 8-in. (203-mm) concrete slab at the
third and fourth floors. The intense heat opened 100 sprinklers in a nine-story
building across the street. Approximately 20 large hose streams were used, but
to no avail.
Example 2
Tires in another warehouse were stored on-side on pallets and stacked four pallets
high up to 20 ft. (6.1 m). A cardboard sheet was placed on top of each pallet load,
reducing the chimney effect of the fire and slightly retarding its vertical spread.
The sprinkler system was capable of meeting the recommended demand with
water supplies from the public main and two fire pumps, both taking suction from
a 250,000-gal. (946,353-liter) tank.
The fire started directly below a sprinkler in a pile adjacent to a 24-in. (0.6-m) fire
aisle. The guards on duty, responding to a sprinkler flow alarm, summoned the
public fire service and used four 50-lb. (22.7-kg) wheeled extinguishers and two
small hose streams to contain the fire until help arrived. Sprinklers were left in
operation until the fire was completely extinguished by firefighters. Manual smoke
vents were then used to ventilate the building. Adequate sprinkler protection,
coupled with early discovery and prompt employee action, made it possible for the
fire to be controlled by just three sprinklers.
Understanding the Hazard: Rubber Tire Storage page 3 of 4
Need more information?
Ask your FM Global engineer or client
service team about the following:
n FM Global Property Loss Prevention
Data Sheet 8-3, Rubber Tire Storage
n Data Sheet 10-0, The Human
Factor of Property Conservation
n FM Global’s Pocket Guide to
Prefire Planning (P9809)
But What About?
…the storage height and building height of my warehouse? Both fire tests and loss
experience have demonstrated that increased storage heights raise the level of fire
hazard. For sprinkler protection in a given warehouse to be effective, it must be
designed to handle the specific storage heights present in that facility. Low clear-
ance—3 ft. to 5 ft. (0.9 m to 1.5 m)—between the top of the storage and the ceiling
sprinklers is advantageous in controlling a fire. As a general rule, the number of
operating sprinklers and the extent of damage rises as clearance increases.
…the use of quick-response storage sprinklers? Based on the favorable results of
large-scale fire testing conducted at the FM Global Research Campus, FM Global
Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 8-3, Rubber Tire Storage, offers protection
recommendations that allow the use of quick-response storage sprinklers (in wet-
pipe systems only) under certain storage and building conditions.

…storage of mounted tires? When a tire’s hollow wheel hole is covered, as

is the case with mounted tires, the fire mainly will involve the outside surface.
The hazard, therefore, is primarily a result of the heat-release rate of burning rub-
ber, which is very high. This was indicated in an intermediate-scale test conducted
at the FM Global Research Campus to determine commodity classification.
The test involved cartoned rubber-tire retreads arranged two-pallet-loads long
by two-pallet-loads wide by two-pallet-loads high on a double-row rack segment.
Results showed the hazard created was far greater than that of ordinary combus-
tible material and approached that of unexpanded plastic commodities.
Ordering Information
For additional copies of this publication or
other FM Global property loss prevention Don’t Let This Happen to You
resources, shop online 24 hours a day, seven
days a week at www.fmglobalcatalog.com.
Or, for personal assistance worldwide, ask to
speak with our U.S.-based customer services
team, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET:
n Toll-free: (1)877 364 6726

(Canada and United States)

n By phone: +1 (1)401 477 7744
n By fax: +1 (1)401 477 7010
n Email: customerservices@fmglobal.com

Adequate sprinkler protection would have minimized the damage to this tire tread manufacturing
and distribution facility. Rubber was still burning one month after the initial incident.

P0341 (Rev. 1/2013)

© 2013 FM Global. All rights reserved.
www.fmglobal.com
In the United Kingdom:
FM Insurance Company Limited
1 Windsor Dials, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1RS
Regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Understanding the Hazard: Rubber Tire Storage page 4 of 4