Richland neighborhood gets trashed, fired

A Richland utility asks residents to be cautious about hot trash after a second garbage fire within a week.

A Richland trash collector Tuesday saw smoke coming from the garbage he had collected at Viewmont Court and Edgewood Drive. Drivers are trained to eject the trash into the street in a safe area to be extinguished instead of endangering the truck.

Benton County District 4 firefighters put out smoking pile of garbage while residents watched at Viewmont Court and Edgewood Drive in Richland on Tuesday.

Richland Solid Waste said hot coals started the fire. Officials said residents should wait at least 48 hours for ashes or embers to cool off before placing it into the trash.

Watch the video at tricityherald.com/video.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Richland neighborhood gets trashed, fired."