A municipal refuse truck narrowly avoided disaster earlier this morning after large amounts of garden refuse inside the vehicle ignited, sparking flames that threatened to engulf it.

Quick action prevented the blaze from spreading; however, the incident has prompted urgent warnings from Ward 33 councillor Kim Fourie, who is pleading with residents to change their disposal habits.

In a statement to the community, Fourie stressed that irresponsible disposal practices are putting the fleet under severe strain.

“Fleet trucks are breaking down for several reasons; however, one major factor is tree stumps placed in a refuse bag, which in turn breaks the mechanism of the truck. This has to be repaired and will cause more delays in clearing the backlog,” she explained.

She highlighted that residents are not allowed to place tree stumps, branches, rocks, floor tiles, furniture, or sand out for collection, as these items damage the trucks and slow down service delivery.

Most critically, she warned against burning garden waste before or on collection day.

The near-fire has highlighted the risks posed by garden refuse when improperly handled.

Witbank News has attempted to reach the Emalahleni Local Municipality’s spokesperson, Lebo Mofokeng, for a detailed statement and tips to help residents avoid similar incidents. However, it was not successful at the time of publication.

@witbanknews

eMalahleni residents are urged not to burn garden grass, branches, or refuse before or on collection day. Earlier this morning, a garbage truck was nearly engulfed in flames after large amounts of garden refuse ignited inside. Fortunately, the fire was contained before the truck caught alight. #witbanknews #witbank #localnews

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