Granite Bay, California -- At 11:14 AM on Monday, June 7, 2004, the South Placer Fire Protection District responded to a reported garbage truck fire at the intersection of Auburn Folsom Road and Douglas Blvd.
The driver of the truck reported that his hydraulic lift arm quit functioning during a pickup. Upon exiting the cab to check on the arm failure, he noticed fire and smoke from under the cab area. The driver was able to safely evacuate the area and was uninjured.
Fire crews were able to confine the fire to the cab area, keeping the fire from spreading into the garbage compartment.
The truck was a total loss and the cause of the fire was determined to have been a hydraulic line failure that sprayed hydraulic fluid over the exhaust system which was then ignited.
