Likely Cause Of Garbage Truck Explosion In Arlington Heights Released

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Calling it an internal review as Groot Waste Management continues its own investigation, Arlington Heights Fire Chief Lance Harris released the findings of the Village into what caused December's garbage truck explosion in which two police officers and a firefighter were injured due to flying debris and post-blast concussion.

"We can't prove it, but there's a very high suspicion that this fire was started because of the improper disposal of a lithium-ion battery in a recycling bin," Harris said at the Feb. 18 Arlington Heights Village Board meeting. "The amount of fire, and the amount of heat, that we had that day indicates that it was a lithium-ion battery."

Harris said that when a lithium-ion battery goes into thermal runaway, a dangerous process that occurs when the temperature of a battery or other system increases uncontrollably, it burns at around 750 degrees.

"This fire grew rapidly, so you know something was fueling it," Harris said.

RELATED: Police Release Videos Of Garbage Truck Explosion In Arlington Heights

On Dec. 6, 2024, a Groot truck caught fire, and later exploded, on Derbyshire Drive. Two police officers and a firefighter were injured due to flying debris and post blast concussion. The three were taken by the Arlington Heights Fire Department to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"I'm here to tell you, I'm blessed to be standing here tonight, and the same thing to have Battalion Chief [Andrew] Benkert sitting here," Harris said. "The other three firefighters, and the other two police officers [who were on the scene when the explosion occurred], going home that night was a miracle. It's also a miracle we didn't hurt any of our citizens on this explosion."

According to police, police and fire personnel responded to the truck fire on Derbyshire, just south of Euclid Avenue, at around 4 p.m. While assessing the scene, a portion of the truck exploded. Officials said the commercial vehicle is powered by compressed natural gas and operated by Groot Waste Management. Multiple first responders were in proximity when the explosion occurred.

Firefighters aggressively attacked and contained the fire, caused by a CNG tank exploding. Police described the explosion as "significant" with truck parts sent airborne, landing up to several blocks away.

"[Compressed Natural Gas] is made up of methane, and it burns cleaner than the gasoline or diesel vehicles," Harris said. "CNG is considered a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fuels. It's lighter than air, it's non-toxic, it's odorless, it's tasteless, and as we know, it's flammable, just like our natural gas."

In addition, a shock wave caused substantial property damage in the immediate area. Adjacent single-family homes had sections of roof and siding blown off. Windows were shattered. The first-in fire engine had its windshield shattered, and a cab-mounted public safety radio was knocked off the console, according to police. Airbags on a squad car parked next to the engine activated and deployed.

Forensic technicians documented the scene, including the garbage truck and damaged homes, by using digital and drone photography. A portion of Euclid Avenue was closed for more than six hours.

"This incident was something that really caught a lot of people's attention because of the damage that it did to neighboring buildings and the potential life-threatening explosion that occurred," said Randy Recklaus, Arlington Heights village manager.