Garbage truck catches fire on way to landfill

COLUMBIA ­— A garbage truck loaded with paint and batteries caught fire after leaving the City of Columbia Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility on Saturday afternoon, a news release from the Columbia Fire Department said.

The garbage truck left the collection facility at 1313 Lakeview Ave. and was driving to the City of Columbia Sanitary Landfill at 5700 Peabody Road. Firefighters were called to 4501 Paris Road, near U.S. 63, at 1:44 p.m. where they found heavy flames coming from the truck’s cargo portion, the release said.

Firefighters knocked down the flames initially but were unable to reach the core of the fire with their hoses. They proceeded to move the truck to the landfill, where the truck’s garbage could be dumped and they could completely extinguish the fire, according to the release.

The truck driver, Freeman Hickman, said there had been a small fire inside the truck that had been extinguished by another employee. Hickman had checked the truck and did not see any visible smoke or flames prior to leaving for the landfill, the release said.

No one was injured in the fire and no damage estimate was available, according to the release. The fire’s cause was under investigation.