Fire in garbage truck

TIFFIN — Members of Tiffin Fire and Rescue Division responded to reports of a fire inside of a garbage truck Monday morning. Chief Rob Chappell shared that as of now the official source of the fire is undetermined, but similar instances have reportedly taken place over the last several years, with those other instances being linked to improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries. "Over the last six or seven years this is the third incident like this we have seen in Tiffin," Chappell said. He said the driver was able to safely dump the load onto Summit Street (between Greenfield and Main streets) where Tiffin Fire-Rescue personnel worked to quickly extinguish the burning material. The city of Tiffin Public Works Department also assisted by bringing equipment to disperse the debris, helping firefighters access and extinguish the fire more efficiently. Rumpke continued with the cleanup until the afternoon, utilizing roll-off dumpsters. Chappell asked that the community does its part in preventing incidents like this by properly disposing of materials such as hot ashes, smoking materials and lithium-ion batteries.