Crime & Safety

Trash Truck Fire Closes Moulton Parkway Lanes

Firefighters put out a pile of burning garbage that blocked traffic for hours Saturday.

A trash truck fire closed two lanes of Moulton Parkway for more than three hours Saturday as crews cleaned up the mess.

While driving near the Aliso Niguel and Moulton intersection, the garbage truck driver noticed smoke coming from the back of the truck, said Capt. Stephen Miller with the Orange County Fire Authority.

The driver pulled onto Moulton and quickly dumped out the burning garbage. According to Miller, that is how garbage truck drivers are trained to respond to any sign of fire to minimize damage to the vehicle.

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Firefighters got the call about the burning trash at 11:28 a.m. Two engines and a battalion chief responded to the fire, as did Orange County Sheriff's deputies for traffic control.

By 11:44 a.m., the fire was out, but the cleanup shut down two Moulton Parkway lanes until late in the afternoon, Miller said.

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There was no obvious damage to the garbage truck. Firefighters were unable to immediately determine the cause of the fire.


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