On December 6, a garbage truck exploded, hospitalizing a firefighter and two police officers in Illinois.
The explosion occurred in Arlington Heights, per the news release. The garbage truck had caught on fire, and police and fire personnel attended the scene after it was called in. Unexpectedly, around 4 pm, the truck exploded, as seen from a distance on doorbell footage.
"The commercial vehicle is powered by compressed natural gas and operated by Groot Waste Management," the release stated.
The officers were hospitalized due to injuries sustained by flying debris and post-blast concussion. Thankfully, they weren't in life-threatening condition, so are expected to recover.
The explosion was "significant". Truck parts were sent soaring up to several blocks away from the blast zone. The explosion's shock wave also caused considerable damage to nearby homes.
"Adjacent single-family homes had sections of roof and siding blown off. Windows were shattered," the statement read.
The truck was cleared by 7.15 pm, although the explosion had already caused huge amounts of property damage.
Sudden Garbage Truck Explosion Causes Significant Damage To Area
NBC News shared that the hospitalized officers are recovering well and that the firefighter has returned to duty.
The outlet also shares incredible bodycam footage of the wild explosion.
It's currently unknown exactly why the garbage truck was on fire and why it exploded. CBS News, however, shares a working theory. It's being theorized that the uncontrolled fire in the truck's collection hopper mixed with the natural gas in the tank, caused an explosion.
ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke to neighbors who lived 200 feet from the explosion. Paul Duchek, a neighbor, told the outlet, "I walked to the side of the house and was actually sitting there, and I said, 'Oh, there's some smoke over there.' All of a sudden, boom. It just, it just came upon us."
It made me literally drop, and I was on the phone with a client, and phone went out, and my client was trying to call me back, couldn't," his partner, Sue Duchek added.
The crazy explosion has hospitalized officers and damaged homes. It could have been a lot worse, however. Those who are suffering property damage due to the explosion have been told to call 911 to properly document the damages.
