Garwood FD Puts Out Another Bush Bros. Garbage Truck Fire

The Garwood Fire Department put out a garbage truck fire at Bush Brother's Disposal Company on South Avenue, the second garbage truck fire at the company in the past three months.

The truck was out picking up garbage before the fire began and when employees saw smoke coming from the back of the truck they dumped the load onto their parking lot at 55 South Avenue to begin extinguishing it. The fire department received the call at 11:47 a.m. according the Deputy Fire Chief Tom Spera, and extinguished the fire with one hose. When Patch arrived, employees and fire officials were cleaning up the debris and loading it into a dumpster on site.

"There was heavy smoke coming from the truck and the fire was burning good when we got here," said Spera. "To save their truck, they ejected the load. It is a brand new truck, too – they lost two trucks in the February fire."

Union County Hazmat Captain and Garwood Fire Assistant Chief Michael Tharaldsen says that garbage truck and dumpster fires are not uncommon. 

"It could've been numerous things. You never know what you're going to pick up – cigarettes still burning, could have been a chemical reaction. It happens all the time," he said.

The Union County Hazmat team also provided assistance.

"We took a pH sample to test the debris for chemicals and that came back neutral," said UC Hazmat responder Ron Salermo. "We also could see a light oil condition and so we put down an absorbant."

Bush Brother's employees were not available for comment.

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