Large tire fire burning near Port Tampa

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A large cone of black smoke could be seen for miles Thursday. It was caused hundreds of burning tires near Port Tampa Bay.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue got the call around 6 p.m. for a trash fire at Alex Metal Recycling on Raleigh Street in Tampa.

When firefighters arrived they discovered a large trash pile with hundreds of tires in it. Firefighters located the nearest hydrant and started aerial firefighting operations from Truck 11.

It took firefighters about three hours to get the fire under control.

There were no reported injuries.

The cause of the fire has been determined as an accidental ignition from a cutting torch being used to cut recyclable metal.

Stay with FOX 13 News for more on this developing story.