Bradenton firefighters put out blaze after garbage truck load catches fire
The city of Bradenton is reminding residents to properly dispose of hazardous materials after a collection load caught fire in a garbage truck. The city of Bradenton’s Solid Waste crew identified a collection load on fire while on route near Sixth Street East and Second Avenue East on Thursday morning. The driver called 911, and after emptying the load safely, the city of Bradenton Fire Department extinguished the fire, according to the city.
“Thanks to the quick actions of our Solid Waste team and the rapid response of firefighters, the fire was safely extinguished within minutes and no injuries were reported,” the city said.
The cause of the fire is still undetermined, and the city said that “today’s incident serves as a reminder that certain items should never be placed in household garbage cans.”
Proper disposal techniques should be followed for items such as batteries, chemicals, paints and other hazardous materials, the city said.
Other Florida cities have battled garbage trucks fires caused by hazardous materials. The Tampa Bay Times recently reported that rechargeable batteries were the cause of dozens of garbage truck fires in Hillsborough County. In March, a lithium battery was also the suspected cause of a Sarasota fire in a recycling truck, ABC7 reported.
