A massive plume of black smoke was visible from the Utah Motorsports Campus Monday afternoon after a tire wall caught fire at the race track.
Firefighters from Grantsville City Volunteer Fire Department and North Tooele Fire District were dispatched to UMC at 4:47 p.m. for a tire fire, which occurred on the track near the clubhouse, according to Grantsville City Fire Chief Casey Phillips. About 40 feet of the metal guard rail inside the fence at the track buckled due to the heat of the fire, in addition to the burned tires.
Crews knocked down the flames shortly after 5 p.m., using several ground hose lines and an aerial rig.
Workers at the race track were burning tumbleweeds along the edge of the race track using a jet dryer when the tires caught fire, Phillips said.