The blaze on May 17 at the Diggalink yard on Weedons Rd was due to a flare-up of hot ash that spread to a large pile of tyres near State Highway 1.
Waste Management Ltd’s proposal for the expansion of its facility at 305 Marshs Rd in Prebbleton also includes a tyre processing plant.
Judy Sachdeva, who is a part of the group of residents fighting the proposal, said the fire in Rolleston was very concerning for them.
“There are two main problems with tyre stockpiles. The first is vermin infestation, because rats and other animals love living there, and the other is the risk of fire,” she said.
Sachdeva said the group plans to use the fire in Rolleston as evidence at the resource consent hearing.
“The fumes from it are also not good.
"People in Rolleston were told to close their windows.
"We live very close to the facility on Marshs Rd and we are downwind in an easterly.”
An Environment Canterbury spokeswoman said no date has yet been set for the hearing, but it is likely to be in late July or early August.
Waste Management Ltd has applied to expand its current site and operate the waste treatment plant at Marshs Rd.
Resource consent was granted for the proposed plant by the Christchurch City Council in December 2018.
ECan also granted three consents for the plant’s construction and discharge of stormwater in March 2019.
The consent application currently with ECan is only for activities resulting in discharge to air.
It ran a limited notified consent process, which meant only people within 500m of the proposed facility had the chance to have their say.
