Safety first. No-one is arguing about that. There's a balance here between having the taxiway blocked for an hour to let things cool down by themselves or having it blocked for 5-6 hours to change wheels/brake assy etc if you try & taxi too soon. This isn't a simple decision and should be made after discussion by all parties, crew, engineers, Fire Service and airport management. I'd say if it's on a taxiway, not infringing the runway strip, then take your time reaching the decision. A blocked runway is more problematic. Thanks to those crews who think of vacating the runway and having the problem on a taxiway, wheel assemblies are certificated to take a lot of punishment. However, if you do need to stop on the runway and don't think it safe to move, so be it.
Our Fire Service have a neat bit of kit that saw action the other night. It's a large fan that forces cooling air over mainwheel assemblies for 10 mins or so, bringing them gently down to a safe temp for towing. MUCH better than squirting water over the wheels - a complete NO-NO!!
Wheel rims used to blow with monotonous regularity - was even part of our SOPs; what to do if you found a bit. Nowadays, as with tyres themselves, construction is much more reliable. I'd say 200 metres was possible, but the bits come out sideways, so nosewheel location is safer than the side. As has been said before. only Fire Service people should approach hot wheels/brakes in the first instance as they are (or should be!)wearing protective clothing and are trained to handle this situation.
If the runway is blocked, having made the a/c safe, towing off to outside the strip even on wheel rims shouldn't cause too much further damage. Do try and not smash too many light fittings on the way, though!!
The Odd One