Los Angeles firefighters have evacuated about a dozen homes in Sun Valley as a precaution after a sanitation truck powered by compressed natural gas caught fire Monday afternoon.
The recycling truck, owned by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and Environment, was between two work sites in the 8400 block of North Laurel Canyon Boulevard when a fire broke out and spread to the vehicle’s compressed natural gas cylinder, said Brian Humphrey, an LAFD spokesman. Pressurized tanks, he said, can cause an explosion.
The incident comes six months after a semi-trailer truck powered by two 100-gallon cylinders of compressed natural gas exploded in Wilmington, injuring nine firefighters.
Facing a similar threat, Los Angeles firefighters established a 300-foot safety perimeter near the burning truck, prompting the evacuation of a dozen homes in the area. Flames from the truck were threatening at least one home, Humphrey said.
Humphrey said firefighters were pouring water on the flames. The cause of the blaze was not known.
