Hot Mess! West Richland Garbage Truck Load Catches Fire–PHEW!

Fortunately, nobody was hurt--except the nostrils of the neighborhood.

West Richland garbage truckload catches fire

West Richland Police and the city had a hot mess on their hands Monday afternoon when a garbage truck driver had to dump his load that caught fire.

WRPD did not specify which neighborhood but said it was pretty smelly.  According to reports, the driver noticed a huge plume of smoke billowing from the disposal bin in the back of the truck.

He alertly dumped his nearly full load in the middle of the street, saving the truck from further damage. Fire crews from Benton County Fire District 1 responded and were able to douse the load into submission. These photos show the smelly pile after it was put out.

WRPD did not specify what caused the fire, but we learned that across the country, garbage truck fires are becoming more common.  And yes, another loader and truck were send to retrieve the stinky cargo.

   People are mixing in a lot more hazardous chemicals with their 'regular' waste

We saw several reports from various states and following COVID, as people 'emerged' from their hibernations, they began to declutter. Many people disposed of old household items and a lot of them included paint, chemicals, fertilizer, oil, etc. This includes household cleaning supplies, too.

Many of these, when combined and mixed with other garbage, create spontaneous combustion and smoky fires in garbage trucks.

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Moral of the story? If you have toxic or hazardous chemicals, don't just dump them in the dumpster. Take a little time to dispose of it properly.

Speaking of strange occurrences...