The oily, sticky substance coats the leaves in the garden and shrouds her tomato crop.

It has sunk into the new paint on the walls and blackened the roof, the cars and even family pets.

Mrs Wade said soot began falling on her Smith Street home when the tyre recycling facility, located two blocks over at Union Street, caught fire on Wednesday.

``Everything we touch is black and sticky and oily,'' she said.

``Our dogs have white paws - and they are now black.''

The crop from the bountiful edible garden, heavy after a $5000 investment in fruit trees and vegetables last year, is now unsafe to eat.

The home has been downwind of the fire, which continues to to burn at the site.

Mrs Wade said even the insurance assessor who visited the home yesterday was surprised by the damage.

Longford fire brigade chief Michael Armstrong hoped the industrial fire would be fully extinguished today, but that would depend on wind conditions.

Two excavators pulled the smouldering rubber piles apart yesterday, and firefighters have been extinguishing the blaze bit by bit.

Residents in the Northern Midlands town have been advised to close their windows and doors and avoid going out in the smoke if they have respiratory problems.

A spokeswoman from the Longford Medical Clinic said it had not seen any patients with respiratory problems caused by the smoke.

Students at Longford Primary School spent recess and lunch inside on Wednesday and yesterday to avoid the smoke.

Principal Heather Fahey said staff had monitored asthmatic students and those with other respiratory issues but no students had been adversely affected.