A trash truck dumped its load in a church parking lot Tuesday afternoon after the garbage it was carrying caught fire.
The Flower Mound Fire Department responded to the blaze in the parking lot of Flower Mound First Baptist Church on Timber Creek Road.
Firefighters extinguished the flames after the burning load was dumped in the parking lot.
Crews sifted through the debris, which consisted entirely of recyclable materials, but were unable to determine the cause of the fire.
Firefighters spread out the materials and soaked them with water to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished.
No injuries were reported.
The fire was in close proximity to Timber Creek Elementary School, and Lewisville ISD was alerted, but Flower Mound FD said the fire did not affect any school activities.
While no cause was determined, officials warned about the dangers of disposing of certain materials.
“This is a great reminder to always properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries,” said the department in a post to social media. “When improperly disposed of in household trash, these batteries can be crushed, punctured or overheated inside garbage trucks… that can cause a fire.”
According to officials, lithium-ion batteries can trigger a process called thermal runaway, which can set the disposed of batteries on fire.
The department is still investigating the cause of the trash truck fire, but offered some advice on where to properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries.
Flower Mound’s Public Works staff and Environmental Services workers aided first responders in their efforts to extinguish the parking lot blaze.
