MINTO, N.B. -- Sand has been effective in suffocating portions of a tire fire in Minto, N.B., but a water advisory is now in place in the area.
Geoffrey Downey, communications officer for the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, says there is also still an air quality advisory in effect.
The provincial Health Department issued a water quality public advisory on Monday, telling citizens on the industrial park's water system to cease using water until further notice.
That includes residents of the nearby W.G. Bishop nursing home and users of the Queens North Community Health Centre.
People in the Minto area who are on well water are being advised to monitor their water for any change in odour or colour, and contact the municipality if they notice anything unusual.
Downey says the provincial Environment Department is waiting for the fire to subside in order to study the impact of the runoff on groundwater in the area.
Bulldozers started dropping sand on the fire in the past two days, cutting off its source of oxygen.
The blaze started on Friday night, creating a plume of smoke visible from Fredericton -- about 50 kilometres away.
