12 Scottsdale Garbage Trucks Damaged In Fire

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — 2021 is already off to a difficult start for the city of Scottsdale after 12 garbage trucks were damaged in a fire Sunday morning.

The Scottsdale Fire Department tweeted that it responded to the City of Scottsdale North Corporate Yard, where it discovered the damage. Six trash trucks that run on compressed natural gas were burning, while four other trucks were impacted.

The Phoenix Fire Department assisted in putting out the fire, according to the tweet.

Crews from the two departments secured the main gas lines and controlled the fire. The hazardous materials team also completed air monitoring and confirmed that there were no other gas leaks in the area.

While the fire department initially reported that 10 trucks were damaged, a spokesperson for the city of Scottsdale confirmed to Patch that 12 trucks were either damaged or destroyed in the fire. The initial estimated damage comes in at more than $3 million, according to Jan Horne, spokesperson for the city.

"Despite losing a dozen vehicles, solid waste collection service to residential customers in Scottsdale was not disrupted," Horne said in a statement. "About 50 customers were delayed by one day."

Horne also thanked the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Peoria for providing loaner vehicles so that Scottsdale can continue to serve its residents.

A fire department investigation revealed that the blaze originated in the battery compartment of one of the trucks. The exact cause is currently unknown but investigators do not believe foul play was involved.