Fire Dept Reports Garbage Truck Fire 10-3-11

At 12:46 PM on October 3, 2011 the Middletown Township Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a garbage truck on fire in the parking lot of the Burger King restaurant at 858 Route 36.  Arriving police units confirmed that the truck cab was on fire and reported that the fuel tank had ruptured.

First Assistant Fire Chief John D’Altilio arrived and immediately requested additional resources be dispatched.  Approximately 15 Firefighters from the Old Village Fire and Middletown Fire Companies extinguished the blaze and deployed temporary earthen dikes around the storm drains to prevent any contaminants from entering the local waterways. 

Hazardous Material Technicians from the Middletown Township Fire Department Special Services Unit used a large quantity of sand supplied by the Middletown Township Department of Public Works to construct more substantial dikes around the storm sewers to ensure that all of the runoff was contained.

The owner of the garbage truck, Sakoutis Brothers Disposal, arranged for a service company to clean the site and remove any contaminated materials.

There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Middletown Township Fire Prevention Bureau.