So... I'm at work, and I smelled something burning. Check the space heater, check the plug... look outside, see white smoke.

Think, good, the smoke is outside, that means the building I am in is not the one that's on fire.

Go outside, walk down the road a bit, see a LARGE pile of trash being hosed down. Asked the policeman guarding the scene what was going on.

He said that the load of trash inside a town garbage truck had apparently started on fire... so the driver dumped his load onto this empty paved area.

Well, that's a first. I've never heard of the contents of a garbage truck spontaneously combusting. Though you never know what people throw out. And I have seen linseed-oil soaked rags spontaneously combust (ask me how I know!) so I am aware that this can happen.

Anybody else ever heard of a load of garbage starting on fire?

Yes, DB is a garbage truck driver :D:D:D
Dumpsters do it all of the time too.

We recently had a large dumspter truck catch on fire on the interstate. Traffic was stopped for hours waiting on hte fire to be put out and the mess cleared away.

That's a first for me to hear of such a thing happening.

Glad youre okay! Here we have to watch big piles of hay, they can start on fire like that too. Scarry!

wow !!! scary for drivers as one quilter shared her husband is one.. ! Never think of this !

Four homes were lost over night in Charlotte because a recycle dumpster caught fire....it was just on the news.