NEW ORLEANS — While a strong line of severe storms pelted the area with up to two inches of much-needed rainfall on Tuesday, a fire could be seen raging in New Orleans East from miles away.
Firefighters battled a blazing pile of discarded car tires near Chef Menteur Highway.
The New Orleans Fire Department reports that they received a 911 call reporting an outside fire behind the Riverboat RV Park at 6200 block of Chef Menteur Hwy.
“Arriving on the scene at 5:32 p.m., New Orleans Fire Department firefighters were faced with a large outside fire (mostly trash and tires) on the opposite side of the RV Park’s metal fence, near the base of the westbound Interstate-10 Highrise,” the department reports.
A second alarm was requested at 5:57 p.m., as firefighters struggled to get control of the fire.
High winds, dry conditions, and limited accessibility made fighting the fire dangerous and difficult. Winds blew heavy black smoke and embers across Interstate-10 near the Chef Menteur Hwy exit at the bottom of the Highrise.
Entergy assisted by disabling badly burned power lines that were in danger of collapsing.
There were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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