February 4, 2005, at 1:14 AM, Harlem-Roscoe Fire, Roscoe, Illinois responded to a report of a garbage truck on fire at a local refuse transfer station.
Chief Oscar Presley arrived on scene and reported there were three garbage trucks fully involved with fire. A fourth truck also sustained damage.
It took firefighters a couple of hours to extinguish the fire. The fire had already done extensive damage to the trucks and the contents in two of the trucks were not able to be emptied. An acetyline torch as well as a K-12 saw were used to cut holes into the top of those two trucks to get to the fires inside.
Eleven thousand gallons of water and 45 gallons of foam concentrate were used to extinguish the fire. The department's two 3000 gallon super tankers were used to shuttle water from the nearest hydrant.
Fire investigators believe the cause of the fire is electrical in origin and that it started in the cab of one of the trucks. A company representative estimated the damage at over $500,000.
