Homes damaged in Allegheny County neighborhood after garbage truck bursts into flames
IMPERIAL, Pa. (KDKA) — Homeowners are dealing with melted siding to their homes and other damage after a garbage truck went up in flames Thursday morning in the Imperial Ridge development in Imperial.
"I came out, saw what was going on, and it started out small, kind of like a campfire. Next thing you know, it started exploding," one homeowner said.
The fire at around 8 a.m. led to broken windows and melted siding on some homes in the neighborhood.
According to the driver, he noticed some flames coming from the engine but could not get a fire extinguisher fast enough to stop the fire.
From then on, it didn't take long to trigger an explosion.
"Unfortunately, the tank when it blew the relief valve was pointed toward my son's house and it was heading right toward his house," said Duke Mulvihill. "The heat will travel and that's what it'll do. It melted some of the siding and did damage. The shockwave or a piece of debris broke one of my son's windows too. It's all good, though. It could've been worse."
The driver safely escaped the truck and investigators are looking into what may have caused the fire. The truck ran on natural gas, officials said.
KDKA-TV reached out to Waste Management for comment on Thursday but did not hear back.