Drama at garbage collection: fire causes unrest in Eckental!

Drama at garbage collection: fire causes unrest in Eckental!

Yesterday, Friday, December 5th, 2025, brought a bitter shock to the local people on the Lavenderweg in Eckental. The load of a garbage truck began to burn for reasons that are still unclear, prompting the local police and fire department to respond. According to [infranken.de](https://www.infranken.de/lk/erlangenhoechstadt/blaulicht/erlangen-hoechstadt- Dicher-qualm-alarmierte-polizei-brand-bei-muellabfahrt-art-6295848), the employees of the garbage truck noticed the rising smoke around midday and immediately took action by calling the emergency number.

The fire brigade was quickly on the scene and was able to quickly extinguish the fire. What many people didn't know: The load consisted mainly of yellow bags containing plastics, which not only proved problematic to dispose of, but also led to smoke that was harmful to health. Given the danger, police asked residents to close doors and windows to protect them from the harmful smoke. Fortunately, the garbage truck was on the outskirts of town, so only a few people in the immediate area were in danger. According to initial information, the garbage truck was undamaged.

Another incident in Paderborn

Speaking of garbage collection and the risk of fire: the fire department in Paderborn also recently had to be deployed. There, an employee of the waste disposal and city cleaning company (ASP) noticed smoke in a disposal vehicle around 8:10 a.m. on Friday morning. To be on the safe side, the driver drove to a gravel parking lot so as not to endanger the vehicle and alerted the fire department a short time later. According to nw.de, this all happened in a coordinated manner: the emergency services arrived with several vehicles, including a tank fire engine and an ambulance.

The fire department ultimately determined that a defective battery in a cordless vacuum cleaner had probably started the fire. This situation is part of a worrying development: current statistics from the Institute for Loss Prevention and Loss Research of Public Insurers (IFS) show that the number of fires caused by batteries is increasing. Between 2015 and 2024, approximately 2,000 fire cause investigations were conducted annually, while the causes of fires such as electricity and human error remained relatively stable. feuertrutz.de notes that the number of fires caused by batteries in particular is increasing, which is mainly due to the increasing popularity of battery-operated devices.

Overall, these incidents show how important it is to be aware of the risks surrounding the disposal of electrical devices and especially batteries. The fire department and other responsible parties warn urgently that such devices should not end up in normal waste disposal in order to avoid serious consequences such as fires.