CNG Garbage Truck Explosion Injures Firefighter, Police in Arlington Heights, IL
A violent explosion rocked an Arlington Heights street Friday as firefighters were extinguishing a fire in a garbage truck fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG).
Firefighters and police were dispatched to the truck fire around 4 p.m. at Derbyshire Avenue near Euclid Avenue, according to CBS Chicago.
Police officials told the television station that they believed one of the CNG tanks exploded during the fire, which was caught on a Ring doorbell camera from a block away.
The blast sent debris flying, injuring the firefighter and two police officers, all who were transported to the hospital.
"All of a sudden, something just ignited. It was like a nuclear wave. All the trees pushed down, and I got pushed off my ledge that I was standing on," resident Paul Duchek told the television station.
After the blast, firefighters used a ladder truck to control the fire.
Police said the explosion, involving a Groot Waste Management truck, caused a shock wave that damaged multiple homes in the area. They said windows were shattered and parts of roofs were blown off, and some debris was found blocks from the scene.
One fire apparatus lost a windshield the blast triggered airbags to deploy in a police car near the scene.
