BEAUMONT, TX – An explosion occurred aboard an Allied Waste Services garbage truck June 12 as the driver waited at a four-way stop in Beaumont, Texas, according to the Web site to www.firefightingnews.com. The Beaumont Fire Department arrived at the scene at 12:01 p.m. and found the vehicle engulfed in flames. According to the driver, he was compacting a load when he heard the explosion in the back of the truck. The driver sustained first-degree burns on his arm. He was treated at the scene by EMS and released. The explosion and fire destroyed the truck, which is owned by Phoenix-based Allied Waste Services. The private solid waste collection company operates in 128 markets in 37 states and Puerto Rico. The report said that the explosion and fire likely was ignited by prohibited waste collected along the driver’s route. Bengy Williams, operations manager for the City of Beaumont Clean Community Division, said four fires occurred on city garbage trucks in 2006, according to www.firefightingnews.com. In each of the four cases, the driver was able to dump the truck’s contents and the fires were quickly extinguished on the ground.