Firefighter hospitalized after battling 2-alarm tire fire in Baltimore County heat

A firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat-related injuries Tuesday after crews battled a two-alarm fire involving tires, an RV and a trailer at a tire service facility in Baltimore County as temperatures climbed into the 90s.

"I'm hot, and I know they're hot with all that equipment on," a man said while waiting for a bus.

The fire broke out at Pulaski Tire Service in Rosedale. The Baltimore County Fire Department said crews were initially dispatched for a reported brush fire but arrived to find an RV and a trailer filled with tires engulfed in flames.

Officials said burning tires intensified the fire because they are petroleum-based products that produce higher temperatures and thick, hazardous smoke. Firefighters wore self-contained breathing apparatuses while working to put out the flames.

"Anytime a petroleum product is burning the fire is a little bit hotter the smoke is a little bit more putrid," said Scott Ebbert, the Assistant Fire Chief with Baltimore County Fire Department.

As crews fought the fire in sweltering conditions, firefighters cycled in and out of the scene to cool down, hydrate and have their vital signs checked. One firefighter was transported to a hospital because of the heat, officials said.

Hazardous materials crews also responded because of concerns that water used to fight the fire could carry chemicals and other contaminants into nearby storm drains.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials said they do not yet know what sparked the blaze.