Companies Strike Tentative Deal over West Virginia Tire Fire

Residents forced to stay inside their homes as nearly 40,000 burning tires released toxic fumes in Nitro, West Virginia two years ago, reached a tentative settlement with two companies.

Though U.S. Tire Recovery and ChemValley Properties admit no wrongdoing, they are prepared to compensate nearly 6,000 families in St. Albans and Nitro between $68.60 and $291 apiece.

The proposed settlement must still be approved by a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge.

A shelter-in-place notice was issued on May 4, 2006, after tires stored inside a warehouse caught fire and burned for almost 24 hours.