Christmas Eve Tire Warehouse Fire in Northeast Houston

Location: Northeast Houston, Texas

Incident Summary

On the morning of December 24, 2025, a significant fire broke out at a tire resale and storage facility in the 8800 block of Liberty Road. The Houston Fire Department (HFD) responded to the scene around 3:00 AM, upgrading the incident to a 2-alarm fire due to the intensity of the flames and the volume of combustible material.

The facility, identified in some reports as JQ Trucks and Tires, contained a large inventory of rubber tires, which fueled the blaze. Approximately 50 to 70 firefighters worked for over six hours to contain the fire. Due to the rapid spread and high heat output typical of rubber fires, crews initially adopted a defensive strategy, fighting the fire from the exterior to prevent it from spreading to neighboring properties. Hazmat teams monitored air and water runoff for environmental hazards, but HFD officials reported no toxic levels were detected. No injuries were reported.

Speculation on Cause

While the official cause remains under investigation by arson investigators, the facility manager has publicly speculated that the fire was intentionally set, alleging that a burning vehicle was rolled onto the property.

The shift to a defensive strategy suggests that the fire load (the heat energy released by the burning tires) exceeded the capacity of any installed fire suppression systems or manual firefighting efforts in the early stages.

Relevant Standards: NFPA 1 and NFPA 13

NFPA 1: Fire Code and NFPA 13: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems provide critical guidelines for storing high-challenge commodities like rubber tires.

Storage Configuration (NFPA 1): This code mandates strict limits on the size of tire piles and requires specific separation distances (aisle widths) between piles. These breaks are designed to prevent fire from jumping easily between stacks and to provide firefighters access to the seat of the fire. If the tires were stored in large, continuous piles without adequate separation, it would allow for rapid, uncontrollable fire growth.

Sprinkler Design (NFPA 13): Rubber tires are classified as a "High-Challenge Commodity." NFPA 13 requires specialized sprinkler designs for tire warehouses, often involving higher water densities and specific head placements (such as In-Rack Sprinklers) to penetrate the deep seat of a tire fire. Standard warehouse sprinklers are often insufficient to cool the burning rubber or penetrate the pile to extinguish the fire source.

Sources

KHOU 11 News: "Massive warehouse fire erupts on Liberty Road in northeast Houston" (December 24, 2025)

Hoodline: "Houston Firefighters Battle Intense Warehouse Blaze Fueled by Tire Cache" (December 24, 2025)

ABC13 Eyewitness News: Reports on environmental monitoring and arson investigation status.