Fairfield firefighters had an added challenge putting out a garbage truck fire on Saturday morning when the water they tried to access in two nearby fire hydrants was frozen.
Crews arrived at the transfer station at 530 One Rod Highway at 10:22 a.m. and found heavy smoke and flames rising from the back and side of an Enviro Express garbage truck. The company is based in Bridgeport.
Firefighters sought out another working fire hydrant upon discovering the closest two were frozen.
"The severe cold made extinguishing this fire very challenging as some of the equipment was freezing and the water from the fire created extremely icy operating conditions," Fairfield Assistant Chief Schuyler Sherwood said.
It took unloading the garbage from the truck onto the parking lot to fully extinguish the fire, according to the fire department.
Firefighters were on scene until 11:57 a.m.
The fire department asks residents to clear snow off fire hydrants near their homes, particularly with an upcoming snowstorm on its way.
