Kingston Rd sectioned off as COVID medical waste catches fire in JJ Richards dump truck

A section of a major road south of Brisbane has been closed as emergency workers and Department of the Environment staff battle to remove a pile of COVID medical waste that has caught fire in a rubbish truck and was dumped.

Department of Environment officers were called to the scene of a fire at Woodridge after medical and COVID waste caught fire in the back of a JJ Richards truck.

An area of Kingston Rd in Woodridge has been cordoned off after a pile of rubbish, believed to contain COVID medical waste, caught fire in a rubbish truck early this morning.

Emergency workers and staff from the Department of the Environment were called to the site just after 5.40am to clean up the steaming pile, which had to be dumped on the roadside to be put out.

The driver of the JJ Richards truck stopped on the side of the road and dumped the load after noticing smoke and smouldering from the back.

The truck was heading to the Browns Plains tip with a load of rubbish believed to be mainly COVID waste.

Crews at the scene. Picture: Kiwi French Automotive

Onlookers watched as fireys and Environment Department staff, dressed in full protective suits, hosed down and cleared the smouldering blaze on the corner of Monte St and Kingston Rd.

The Department of the Environment officers were onsite an hour after the fire was reported.

Officers from Logan City Council also attended and watched while the burned rubbish was put into a skip, ready to be taken to the Browns Plains tip.

Environment Department staff spoke with JJ Richards staff to determine the exact nature of the waste to ensure it was adequately disposed of and that the area was correctly cleaned and no danger to the public.