Nakusp RCMP received a report of a garbage truck on fire along Highway 6 near Summit Lake, B.C. at approximately 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.
"The driver of the garbage truck advised that he had been conducting garbage pickups from Castlegar while en route to Nakusp," said Cpl. R.A.Fehler with Nakusp / Slocan Lake RCMP in a release. "While travelling near Summit Lake the driver heard a loud bang come from the rear of his truck which was then followed by smoke billowing out of the rear."
The driver was able to safely pull the truck over into a pullout where he felt it was safer to empty the garbage then to have the entire truck burn.
RCMP attended along with the Ministry of Highways, the Ministry of Forests, and a local contractor from Nakusp with a water tanker truck.
The fire was extinguished and the garbage was reloaded into a second truck. A berm was created with sand prior to the fire being extinguished to prevent contamination to the lake.
Due to the nature of the event, and the location near Summit Lake, the Ministry of Environment was informed of the situation.