Garbage Fleet Working Overtime After Last Week’s Blaze

By Gathering Marbet
Special to The Lookout

August 9 -- A fire that investigators have determined started in one garbage truck at the City Yards last Wednesday has left regular trash collection uninterrupted, but has delayed recycling pickup, City officials said.

The City has been using its remaining fleet overtime after the blaze spread to five other trucks lined up at the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuelling station, according to City officials. Five trucks were destroyed and one was damaged.

"The only delay was that for two days we didn’t pick up recycling," said Judy Rambeau, the City’s spokesperson.

"We are limping along because right now we are doing it with just existing vehicles," said Renee Cowhig, the City’s maintenance manager. "As soon as they come in, they go right back out."

Having the remaining trucks cover all the routes is only a temporary solution, since normal maintenance is suspended in order to keep trucks on the move, she said.

The City is looking to borrow or lease other garbage trucks from neighboring cities, Cowhig said.

"We’ll be able to run a few more days like this," she said. "But this is not an ideal way to run a fleet."

Fire Department officials have concluded their investigation and turned it over to City insurance companies, according to Fire Marshal Jim Glew.

"The investigation (by the Fire Department) was concluded last Friday with the cause still undetermined because of the extreme nature of the fire damage to the vehicles involved.,” Glew said.

An eye witness account by a mechanic on duty and pictures taken by a neighbor helped the Fire Department to determine that the blaze started in one vehicle and spread to others, he said.

"It was not the CNG (station) that was on fire, it was a vehicle fire," Glew said.

“The CNG filling station just shut down the way it was supposed to," said Maintenance Manager Cowhig. “We just don’t know the cause of it.”

The fire broke out last Wednesday at 8 p.m. in one of the six garbage trucks lined up at the fueling station, which pumps natural gas.

The fire spread "because of the close proximity of the vehicles," Glew said.

The spread of hydraulic and other fluids that were not related to the CNG station also fueled the blaze, he said. The tires exploded but there were no punctures in the fuel tanks.

"The flames were just incredible," said Cowhig, who immediately returned to the site after receiving word of the blaze. "Twenty-two fire fighters knocked down the fire in 20 minutes."

Though there was some venting of fuel into the atmosphere, "it was nowhere near what it could have been" if the natural gas safety features were not in place and working correctly, Glew said.

Each truck costs $250,000 and may take over a year to replace, Cowhig said.

The City is facing a total of $1.5 million in estimated damages, she said.

"We don’t want to rush into buying vehicles that don’t work for us." Cowhig said.