Garbage fire dumped onto Horseshoe Valley Road takes 60,000 gallons water to extinguish

A load that caught fire in the back of a garbage truck is extinguished after being dumped onto Horseshoe Valley Road in Springwater Township on Mon., Nov. 6, 2023. (Source: Jeff French, Deputy Fire Chief, Springwater Fire Emergency Services)

It took fire crews 60,000 gallons of water to put out a fire that ignited in the back of a garbage truck late Monday morning as it travelled on Horseshoe Valley Road in Springwater Township.

Springwater's fire chief says the driver had no idea and was alerted to the flames erupting from the back of the truck by other motorists honking, flashing their lights and waving him down.

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It's unclear when the fire sparked, but the chief says it was isolated to the waste, which was mostly cardboard, and never spread to the garbage truck.

The truck driver dumped the fully involved load onto the road for crews to extinguish, which the fire chief said was the safest option to prevent the flames from spreading to the truck.

With wind conditions fanning the flames and making putting the fire out difficult, crews required an extra tanker with water to assist.

Due to the amount of water needed to put out the waste material, the Ministry of Environment had to be notified as a precaution due to any potential runoff.

Fire crews will also notify the County to check the road to ensure the fire didn't cause any damage and to confirm it's safe for vehicles to drive over once cleaned up.

The chief said the cause of the fire is unlikely to be determined because it would be difficult to pinpoint with that much waste in the load.