A Recology garbage truck caught fire after compressing trash, then had to dump its burning load on 6th Ave SW near SW 143rd Street in Burien (map below) Tuesday morning, April 19, 2022.

The fire was quickly extinguished by a King County Fire District No. 2 crew.

Two Recology representatives were on hand, and told The B-Town Blog that there were no injuries, and that the truck didn’t suffer any damage.

Exact cause of the blaze remains unknown at this time, but workers speculate that it may have been due to lithium batteries left in the trash, which could have ignited when crushed.

Happy crows were seen picking through the large pile of trash at around Noon as workers waited for a front loader crew to clean it up. A fire extinguisher stood guard near the pile.

“Big shout out to the quick-thinking driver who probably saved that expensive truck by dumping the load,” said Shauna Sheppard, Public Information Office for King County Fire District No. 2. “He was able to call 911 immediately, and our crews quickly responded.”

Below are photos taken by Scott Schaefer on the scene:

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