A Baton Rouge garbage truck caught on fire Saturday and a resident was able to capture it on video. Jamie Green woke on Saturday around 7 am to her neighbor banging on her door frantically trying to let her know that the garbage truck was in flames in front of her house. The fire started on Juarez Street near Hooper Road.

According to The Advocate, officials suspect the fire was caused by a butane tank that was improperly disposed of in a garbage can then the trash compactor punctured the tank. They believe this resulted in an internal explosion and fire.

There were four garbage truck fires this spring in Baton Rouge and three of those trucks were lost. Baton Rouge officials told The Advocate that the trucks cost $300,000 apiece. Two of the spring fires involved pool chemicals that were not disposed of properly.

Richard Speer, Director of Environmental Services, says spring is a bad time because people want to replace their pool chemicals and they put those chemicals in the garbage, which causes fires. Speer says people need to handle these hazardous materials correctly. Flammable materials like chemicals, gasoline cans, paint cans, and pesticides, should NOT be put in a garbage can. Another fire hazard is leaves. When dead leaves or yard clippings are put into the garbage, they tend to get hot.

There is usually a day set aside for unwanted hazardous materials to be collected. This is when you should dispose of any and all potentially flammable garbage.  As for leaves, Speer says to bag those and leave them by the curb WITHOUT putting them in a trash container.

Independent Picture Service/UIG via Getty Images
Independent Picture Service/UIG via Getty Images
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For the safety of the drivers of the truck, for the safety of the homes and properties, for EVERYONE’S safety, please remember not to dispose of hazardous material in your trash cans. Jamie Green said she is thankful they are safe. She said she thanked God when it was all over for sparing her home and her family. And she is so thankful that the sanitation workers were not on the interstate when the truck burst into flames.

 

 

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