By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Spontaneous combustion started a fire yesterday that caused $250,000 damage to tire-shredding equipment at a Campbell Industrial Park recycling plant.

Fire Capt. Paul Stankiewicz, police Det. Robert Cravalho and an official from federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms determined the cause after reviewing surveillance videotapes at the Unitek Environmental Systems plant at 91-125 Kaomi Loop, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.

Arson was initially suspected in the fire, but the videotape showed smoke coming from a pile of shredded tires and no other suspicious activity occurring prior to the 9:25 a.m. blaze being reported.

The investigators suspect the metal teeth of the shredder scraped against metal from the tires, starting the fire, said Soo.