Garbage truck driver praised for quick thinking after vape causes fire: 'Deserves a raise'
Summary
A garbage truck driver on Australia's Gold Coast is being praised for his quick thinking after a vape device thrown into household recycling combusted in the back of his truck. To prevent a catastrophe, the driver sped off the main road into an empty carpark in Oxenford and dumped the burning load onto the bitumen, where it could be safely extinguished by arriving firefighters. Footage of the incident, shared online, drew widespread acclaim from thousands who said the driver "deserves a raise." The Queensland Fire Department is investigating, but early reports point to the lithium battery in the vape, which can ignite when crushed in collection trucks. Gold Coast councillor Naomi Fowler shared the video as a reminder for residents to sort rubbish correctly, noting that batteries should be disposed of at special retailer bins. Despite the council's awareness campaigns, some commenters, including a self-identified "garbo," argued that public disregard for battery disposal rules is a persistent, unfixable issue.
(Source:Mail Online)