Republic Fire Chief Duane Compton says a trash truck was heading back to Springfield after picking up a load in Rocky Comfort when he noticed the truck was smoking. The driver pulled into the Walmart parking lot near the highway to dump the load. The fire department was able to quickly put out the flames, no one was hurt, but it did cause quite a mess. Chief Compton says fires in trash trucks aren’t uncommon this time of year because people throw away ashes from a wood stove or fireplace. That’s what they suspect happened. Chief Compton says if you are throwing away ashes, put them in a metal bucket with a lid on and let it sit for about five days before you put it in the trash.