Officials trying to clear huge pile of tires, find lot owner

BRUNSWICK - An illegal tire dump containing about 1,000 worn tires - both an environmental and a health risk, experts say - has officials in this coastal town scrambling to find the land owner. <br> <br> ``The Asian Tiger mosquito, which is the one that transmits the West Nile virus, loves to breed in spare tires,&#39;&#39; said George Evanson, the Environmental Code Enforcement officer for Glynn County. <br> <br> Evanson said he has been trying to eliminate the illegal dumpsite off U.S. Highway 341 for over a year. But the county cannot simply go in and remove the tires, because legal responsibility remains with the property owner, he said. <br> <br> ``There are some questions as to who actually owns the property that the tires are on,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Trey English, director of Glynn County Mosquito Control, said the tires&#39; dark color and tendency to hold water make them ideal mosquito breeding grounds. <br> <br> Mosquito larvae need at least 2 inches of standing water to complete their life cycle, he said. <br> <br> Abandoned tires also present environmental danger, since a hot sun can heat up the rubber and cause them to melt or even combust, Evanson said.