Five trash trucks burned this week in a fire at Little Rock's Solid Waste Services Administration building and landfill.
City workers discovered the fire about 6 a.m. Sunday. The vehicles were parked side-by-side at the facility on Ironton Cut Off Road.
"A cause for the fire is still being investigated by the fire marshal and insurance company," said Jon Honeywell, head of the city's Public Works Department.
Four side-loader trucks and one rear-loader truck were damaged, he said. All are covered under insurance, and claims are in the process of being filed.
The city suspended yard waste and limb pickup for the week to maintain its regular garbage collection schedules.
Pickups of bulky items were still being scheduled this week through the city's 311 system, but fewer loads per day could be accommodated as trucks were moved to regular trash routes.
The city has purchased eight new vehicles this year, four of which have been delivered. Those four will be deployed as soon as they are outfitted with city logos. The remaining four will arrive later this year, officials said.
An additional eight trucks were purchased last year under the city's new plan to rotate out garbage trucks every two years, after issues with the maintenance of older vehicles had caused trash delays for some time.
Only one of the trucks destroyed in Sunday's fire was set to retire this year.
Metro on 02/10/2017