Hot sauce to blame in garbage truck incident? Rumpke: 'Nothing to laugh at'

Was a bottle of hot sauce the culprit in a garbage truck incident today?

Norwood firefighters say that's their guess.

A Rumpke truck driver was treated for burns Monday afternoon in an incident reported to police and fire officials as an explosion in the 4000 block of Catherine Avenue in Norwood.

Norwood Fire Capt. Erik Blevins said firefighters arrived at the house to find a neighbor washing down the driver with a garden hose.

More: Rumpke, again: Stop recycling things that shouldn't be recycled

More: What you can and can't recycle, according to the experts at Rumpke

More: Report: Driver who struck, killed Rumpke worker appeared under the influence of drugs

More: Rumpke driver who died remembered as a helper with a heart of gold

Blevins said statements made at the scene said there was a "pop" and a substance sprayed the driver, causing burns. He said the injuries were not severe, and the driver wanted to continue with his route.

Instead, he went to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was treated for skin irritation and was expected to be released Monday.

Cincinnati District 1 Chief Lou Arnold said the call came in at 1:30 p.m. and assisted Norwoood firefighters in the residential area in Norwood.

Cincinnati sent a pumper, a ladder truck and one heavy rescue unit that has hazardous material equipment, Arnold said.

Tests were done by the HAZMAT team. Blevins said the tests were negative for several hazardous materials and investigators were leaning toward a container of hot sauce exploding under the pressure from the truck's compactor as the cause.

A safety team at Rumpke will examine the contents of the truck more closely in search of an answer according to Rumpke spokeswoman Molly Broadwater.

"It's nothing to laugh at," Broadwater said. "Our driver was injured and their tests were inconclusive as to what caused those burns. Our team will try to figure that out."

Bridgett Biggs, safety manager for Rumpke, said the company is fortunate the injuries were minor.

"While we can’t confirm exactly what occurred with today’s incident, we will conduct a thorough investigation," she said. "It serves as an important reminder that not everything can be disposed of in curbside waste and recycling containers.”

Broadwater said liquids are on the list of items Rumpke doesn't accept. Containers should be emptied before they are put out into garbage cans for pickup.

"We continue to ask the public to pay attention to what they are putting into their garbage," she said. "Pool chemicals, household cleaners and other hazardous waste can cause incidents like we saw today."