Tire Fire Clouds Hawkins, Texas, with Smoke

Firefighters, police, Texas Rangers and other awoke early this morning in Hawkins, Texas, to find burning tires.

Hawkins officials first issued an evacuation for the entire town. Later on during the day, they allowed residents on the other side of town to return home. No school was open in Hawkins today because of the severe amount of smoke.

Residents were evacuated because of the amount of smoke, and considered dangerous to those near by.

Fire trucks trying to get close to the fire, had more problems than the tires though. The mosquitoes that called this acre of land home was said to cover the side of the fire truck, and the firemen.

Mary Jane Mathis of Golden said the mosquitoes were so thick "they were like a fog. They just covered you".

The tires covered a full acre, and had been placed there by the property owners. The property owners have been fined over $339,000.00 in fines.

Approximately 70,000 tires were found to be on the acre of land.

The property owners as residents recall, had taken the tires for payment, and had hoped to get a tire shredder in the future. Tire shredders are often used to shred tires for use on public roadways. The property owners left town after collecting all the tires, and never returned. They have been fined with a large fine.

The residents of Hawkins had been bothered with mosquitoes quite badly previously. The tires were full of mosquitoes, and the city was literally above the average of any city with the pesky pests that lived in the tires.

A helicopter was brought in later in the day, after attempts to put out the fire with water did not work.