F-500 Encapsulator Agent has been used at landfills which are generally a Class A fire, often with deep-seated sources. Foam cannot smother a fire like this since the source is usually subsurface. Water alone will not penetrate, but F-500 EA reduces the surface tension of the water drops allowing it to penetrate deep into the landfill to perform its cooling and encapsulating. Even then, these are often very deep-seated fires and require a piercing rod or dismantling of the pile by heavy machinery.

F-500 EA is well-suited for tyre fires because tyre fires are a three-dimensional fire requiring penetration into the piles. Because F-500 EA cools and encapsulates the oil that is produced when tyres burn, it is able to quickly turn the black smoke into a white vapour.

Depending on the stage of recycling, these tyre fires can be whole tyres, chipped, shredded or granular. The final product sold by recyclers is usually granular before it is sold for fuel (TDF) or use in new products (TDA), such as floor mats, playground cover, landscape cover, moulded products, roadbeds and septic systems. These fine rubber crumbs are flammable and fires are easily controlled with F-500 EA.