OBSERVER Photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski A Fredonia firefighter is atop a garbage truck as he hoses down the small blaze. The garbage truck later dumped out its load and the firefighters isolated the fire to put it out.

With a firefighter hoisted on top of the cab of a garbage truck at around noon Wednesday, water was filling in the back of the trash-filled container. At the Fredonia Transfer Station, smoke was clouding out of the vehicle and the truck resorted to dumping its trash onto the ground.

From there, the Fredonia Fire Department had an easier way to extinguish the embers. The origin of the fire was not that easy to determine, but fire investigators will do further research.

“Not 100 percent sure,” Fredonia Fire Chief Ryan Walker said. “The last pickup they did was in Fredonia on Eagle Street area. The driver noticed it on his way up here.”

Walker advised residents to not put anything like cigarettes or anything that was lit into a garbage without properly eliminating the blaze.