Garbage fire briefly closes Highland Drive

PARK CITY, Utah — A garbage truck fire temporarily shut down part of Highland Drive Thursday afternoon after a driver noticed smoke coming from his load and took action to prevent a larger blaze.

Crews were called to the scene at 1:24 p.m. When they arrived, the driver had already dumped the truck’s burning load into the driveway at 241 West Highland Drive, allowing firefighters to extinguish the flames before they spread, according to Park City Fire Marshal Mike Owens.

“It wasn’t actually the truck that was on fire, it was the load that was on fire,” said Owens. “The driver did exactly the right thing. Had it not been for those actions, the potential of the truck catching on fire would have been much, much higher, and then we would have had a lot bigger problem.”

While the exact cause of the fire won’t be investigated, Owens noted there was a significant amount of construction debris in the trash.

“The Park City Fire District would like to remind people to be careful of what you throw away,” said Owens. “Batteries should be recycled when possible. Oily rags must not be thrown in the garbage. If you have any questions on how something should be disposed of, please contact your garbage collection company or the Park City Fire District.”

No injuries were reported, and there was no damage to nearby structures or vehicles. However, residents near the scene were temporarily unable to leave the property while cleanup crews cleared the debris.

A specialized environmental cleanup crew was called to manage the site, as is standard procedure for these kind of fires. “We were careful about where the water went while we were putting out the fire,” Owens said, noting that while clean water from the hydrants briefly flowed toward the Swaner Preserve, no fire-suppressant runoff made it into the sensitive wetlands.

“There are rules about what can go into the garbage, and clearly someone threw away something they shouldn’t have,” Owens added. “The water coming out of the debris was blue.”