Canterbury Regional Council (ECAN) has installed air monitors at a school and preschool which are down-wind from a large tyre fire in Amberley.
The pile of about 160,000 tyres was fully engulfed in the blaze. Photo: Supplied / Hurunui District Council
A 63-year-old man has been charged with lighting the fire on Racecourse Road on Friday afternoon and is due to appear in the district court in Christchurch today.
The pile of about 160,000 tyres was fully engulfed in flames, sending thick black smoke into the air. While the tyres were continuing to smoulder, Fire and Emergency had now handed control of the site back to the landowner.
However it said it was ready to assist should the blaze get out of control.
ECAN said it was monitoring the air quality at Bloomfield School and Bloomfield preschool which sit south-west to the fire.
"Yesterday we deployed two mobile air quality instruments to monitor average PM2.5 concentrations at the Bloomfield School, to the south-west of the fire, and at the Bloomfield preschool, 300m north of the primary school. These instruments allow us to measure the concentration of fine particles only (ie, smoke)," an update on the council's website said.
Fire crews were not able to put water or foam onto the fire as there was a risk it could contaminate the local water table, which is about five metres below ground.
ECAN said it would sample on Wednesday 11 private domestic wells, which were down slope from the site.
"We will re-sample these private wells in the coming weeks. Residents who are on the public water supply are unlikely to be affected.
"We are working with FENZ and the landowner to implement the most effective and timely method of capping the site, with the primary purpose of protecting the groundwater for the community."
The council said its existing application to the government's waste minimisation fund for the disposal of the tyres remained with the Ministry for the Environment for consideration.