On Wednesday 6/5/24 at approximately 9:30am, Mohegan FD was dispatched to Cynthia Rd in Cortlandt for a reported garbage truck fire. Upon arrival, Mohegan Firefighters found an active fire involving a Town of Cortlandt Sanitation Truck. The sanitation crew dumped the burning load of garbage in the street to prevent damage to the truck. Mohegan Firefighters stretched a 1 3/4” hoseline and quickly began to extinguish the fire. It was also determined that the fire was caused by a improperly disposed of e-bike that contained lithium ion batteries. Due to this, the Westchester County Dept of Emergency Services Hazardous Materials Team was requested to the scene. Mohegan FD and the Westchester County DES Hazmat Team worked together to isolate the lithium ion batteries and to properly dispose of them. Units remained on scene assisting the Town of Cortlandt and returned to service by 12pm. We remind everyone of the seriousness of the proper disposal of lithium ion batteries by reading the attached safety link below. Thankfully there were no injuries to the sanitation crew and firefighters.
Units:
Car 2261, 2262, Engine 255, Engine 256
Mutual Aid:
Westchester County Dept of Emergency Services Car 2002, County Car 6, Hazmat 1