Garbage truck explodes

An improperly discarded oxygen bottle caused a major bottleneck on Chumuckla Highway Tuesday afternoon in Pace.

According to witnesses in the area two explosions came from a Waste Pro garbage truck, which was running its normal route around 2:15 p.m.

A Waste Pro employee, Savonte Edwards, was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital to be treated for possible injuries after the incident, but was later released according to Ron Pecora with Waste Pro’s Corporate Office.

“This was a very obvious case where something was discarded improperly,” Pecora said. “I only know of something like this happening one other time and that was in South Florida which also involved an oxygen tank.”

The tank in question was discovered by the Florida Fire Marshall’s Office and agents the with Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms at the Central Landfill late Tuesday, where the truck was taken after officials felt any other threats didn’t exist.

Florida Fire Marshall Regional Spokesman Lt. Kevin Fiedor explained they have a serial from the bottle and will be working with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Environmental Unit and the home health care provider who distributed this particular tank.

At this time the only known charge that could come from this would be improper disposal according to Dep. Greg Barnes, with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“Right now I don’t know the circumstances around the case,” Barnes said. “We have a very unique situation where people use other people’s trash cans when they know it is close to pick up day.”

In the past, Santa Rosa County would offer what was known as amnesity days where citizens could turn in hazardous household waste items, but they now collect items like household cleaners, motor oils, gasoline, car batteries, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles, pool chemicals, pesticides, paint, and much more at the Santa Rosa County Environmental Department at no cost.

This is located near the entrance to the Santa Rosa County Central Landfill on DaLisa Road.

But what turned out to be an oxygen bottle had others believing it was a bomb or something else.

“I heard a loud explosion and at first I thought a transformer exploded,” said Mark Cotton, with Cotton Real Estate, whose office was roughly 50 to 75 feet from the explosion. “I came outside to see what was going on and heard a second explosion.”

Due to the nature of what happened deputies with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and members with Pace Fire and Rescue set up a perimeter, which forced the closing of Chumuckla Highway from Church Road to Pace Rd.”

The Waste Pro Truck was stopped on Chumuckla Highway near the John Deere Lawn and Garden store, which is between Pace Rd. and Rodella Dr.

“I was in the back of my shop working with some metal when I heard this loud bang,” said Rick Middleton, who works at a shop on Rodella Drive. “I heard a second bang and there was this man on the garbage truck that was ejected backwards. He landed on the ground and my boss Bill went to help him and I went directly to the street to control the traffic to keep people away from all of this stuff.

“I don’t know what it was that I smelled, but it didn’t smell good; it smelled like moldy propane if that makes sense.”

Middleton indicated the explosions occurred when the operators of the truck were compacting the trash inside.

As of Thursday no charges in the matter had been filed.

Ironically the indicdent occurred during Santa Rosa County’s observation of Hazardous Material’s Week, Jan. 22 – 28.

This year the county and nation are focusing on mercury awareness and education.

Emergency management and environment department hope to increase the community’s knowledge of hazardous mercury emissions and how to properly dispose of common household items containing the chemical.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. Mercury can be found in common household items including thermostats, barometers, fluorescent tubes, CFL light bulbs, batteries, major appliances, dental fillings, neon signs, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. Items containing mercury should never be disposed of in your household garbage or directly in the landfill. The mercury in many items can be recycled and reused if disposed of properly.

To safely dispose of household items containing mercury, visit Santa Rosa County’s Hazardous Household Waste Center located at the entrance of the Central Landfill 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton. This service is provided Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free of charge. If you have a small spill, for instance one broken thermometer, do not vacuum up the spilled mercury. Vacuuming turns the liquid mercury into a vapor which can increase your exposure. Pick up the mercury beads with masking tape or a medicine dropper, store the beads in a sealed plastic container, and dispose of properly.

When items containing mercury are improperly disposed of, mercury can enter bodies of water and impact area wildlife, particularly fish. According to the Santa County Department of Health, if a contaminated fish is eaten by a human, the mercury in the fish is absorbed into the body. While elemental mercury is eliminated from our bodies, frequent meals of contaminated fish may cause unsafe levels of mercury in humans. Cleaning, trimming or cooking fish will not reduce the amount of mercury.