SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

Millions of tires sitting in the middle of the Sonoran Desert National Monument are not only an eyesore but may pose a potentially "catastrophic" risk, The Arizona Republic reported Sunday.

A blaze in the mounds of tires up to 10 feet high could burn unhindered there for years, sending toxic smoke across the Valley of the Sun, suggest officials, who have shut down the business collecting the tires and hit it with multiple fire-code violations. They are now spending $50,000 a month to secure the site.

A fire there would have fuel from the mounds of discarded rubber believed to include 3-10 million tires. If firefighters brought in heavy equipment and special foam to fight the flames, a likely scenario given the site's proximity to the Valley of the Sun, contaminated runoff could seep into the ground, threatening wildlife.

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