Melbourne tyre fire under control

Firefighters are confident a fire which has burnt through 150,000 tyres in Melbourne will not be a danger to health for much longer.

The Broadmeadows junkyard fire that started in a pile of dumped tyres about 9am on Monday was under control by Tuesday morning.

On Monday, a giant plume of smoke from the fire was carried high into the air, choking surrounding suburbs.

Fire crews working overnight managed to get into containers burning deep within the pile and gain the upper hand.

Speaking at a community meeting on Tuesday, Metropolitan Fire Brigade deputy chief officer Andrew Zammit told residents that after Wednesday, fire crews would remain at the site only to keep watch.

"We couldn't get on top of the fire until we got to the containers inside," Mr Zammit said.

"But there has been no smoke coming from the fire for several hours now, (and although) we'll be there for another 24 hours after tomorrow, it will be only a watching brief."

Maygar Boulevard and Park St will reopen by Tuesday evening, and businesses will return to normal in the next few days, Mr Zammit said.

However, concern remains about fire run-off, with the EPA monitoring the toxicity levels in surrounding creeks, tanks and lakes.

Melbourne Water spokesman Cameron Howie said warning signs have been placed around the nearby Jack Roper Reserve, which has a large retarding basin downstream from the fire.

Information about how to deal with contaminated water has been uploaded on the Melbourne Water website, Mr Howie said.

Mr Zammit reassured residents that the MFB and EPA are monitoring air quality for any pollution from the toxic smoke, saying pollution levels were low.