Bin lorry ejects load on Northampton street after battery catches fire and causes smoke to billow from vehicle
A bin lorry had to eject its load on a Northampton street after a battery caught fire and caused smoke to billow from the vehicle.
Firefighters were called to Collingdale Road just before 9am on Tuesday December 2.
Crews had to use a hose reel to put out the fire.
A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service said: “Crews from Moulton and The Mounts arrived to find a refuse lorry had unloaded its contents on the street after smoke was coming from the rear of the vehicle.
"Crews used thermal imaging cameras to check the temperature of the load and used a hose reel jet to dampen it down.
"A second refuse lorry then collected the waste in the street before taking it back to the depot, accompanied by firefighters, who determined the fire was fully extinguished.”
The spokeswoman added that it is believed the cause is accidental, due to lithium batteries. West Northamptonshire Council added that is was believed to be a discarded car battery.
A WNC spokesman said: “The rubbish was cleared by our street cleansing team. A big thank you to everyone involved in dealing with the issue so quickly.”
The council is also issuing a warning to residents, urging them to never bin batteries because “they can and do cause fires”.
Car batteries can be taken to tips, while household batteries can be recycled by bagging them and placing them on top of a blue-lidded recycling bin if you live in Northampton, a general waste bin if you are in the Daventry area and either bin if you are in South Northants.