A local letter carrier, Rafael Pozo, who delivers mail in the area of the intersection of Miner Street and Dryden Avenue in Arlington Heights — where compressed natural gas cylinders exploded on top of the burning contents inside a garbage truck on Derbyshire Lane in December 2024 — was awarded one of the “Heroes of the Year Awards” by the National Association of Letter Carriers – NALC in Washington D.C. on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Nine other letter carriers were also given awards by the National Association of Letter Carriers at the ceremony in Washington D.C.
Rafael Pozo was recognized for multiple proper actions he provided during a garbage truck contents fire that caused an explosion.
Upon seeing smoke coming from a garbage truck, Rafael Pozo (Arlington Heights, Illinois Branch 2810 member) realized there was a fire emergency as he was delivering his route on Derbyshire Lane just south of Euclid Avenue on the afternoon of December 6, 2024. The 13-year letter carrier saw the driver get out of the truck and attempt to put out the flames with a small fire extinguisher, but the fire had already reached about 15 feet high, so the fire extinguisher was not effective, according to Rafael Pozo.
After making sure that the driver was all right, Pozo called 911. Pozo was also concerned about the children who were leaving nearby Miner School and Windsor Elementary School at the end of the school day, and who would proceed onto Derbyshire Lane where the fire was raging. Pozo warned students and administrators about the fire.
Within minutes, Arlington Heights firefighters arrived. They had only started setting up to fight the fire when the blaze reached the compressed natural gas cylinders or CNG cylinders that contain the fuel that powers the garbage truck. With water being applied near the cylinders, some of the cylinders exploded. An investigation has failed to determine why redundant temperature-activated pressure relief devices (TPRDs) designed to vent the compressed gas failed to prevent the explosion. During the explosion, shrapnel flew everywhere, injuring two police officers and a firefighter. The injured firefighter’s leg was hit with shrapnel. One neighbor, who witnessed the explosion from his home one-half block away, said the blast bent trees over like they were affected by hurricane force winds. The cylinders were launched like missiles that landed 1,000 feet away from the garbage truck. One cylinder became a projectile that pierced the wall of a detached garage about one-half block west of the garbage truck.
“Those guys are the heroes in this situation.”
— Pozo, describing the emergency responders
One teacher was about to drive up to her house, but Pozo warned her to stay away, and she was able to avoid the shrapnel from the explosion.
“She would have been standing in her living room when the truck exploded,” Pozo said. “Shrapnel flew through her living room window, destroying the interior of her house. She says that I saved her life.”
The shock wave from the explosion caused substantial property damage in the immediate area. Sections of roof and siding were blown off onto nearby houses and windows were shattered. Parts of the truck and CNG cylinders were found several blocks away. Nearly whole cylinders landed far from the site of the explosion — one on Beverly Lane four blocks west, and another at Drury Lane and Hawthorne Street north of the explosion.
Although Pozo was far enough away from the explosion to avoid getting hit with shrapnel, he said, “My ears were definitely ringing for a couple of days after that,” due to the extremely loud noise that came with the explosion.
Exactly six months later, on June 6, 2025 a little earlier in the day and in approximately the same part of his route, Pozo again called 911 when he discovered a second garbage truck with a contents fire. There were hundreds of kids outside for their end-of-the-school-year party. Pozo described the situation as being a lot “scarier,” so he made sure to warn them of the fire.
“If that thing blows up, you’re talking about dozens of kids getting hurt,” he said. “I was worried that it was going to fall on one of the kids.”
This time the truck driver was able to prevent intense fire inside the truck, and prevent another potential explosion by dumping the truck contents load onto the pavement of Miner Street just south of the end of Derbyshire Lane at Miner Street. The flames never got close to the compressed natural gas cylinders this time.
The fire department determined that the fire had been caused by a lithium battery, according to the National Association of Letter Carriers, a labor union representing over 295,000 active and retired city delivery letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Lithium batteries are prohibited from being discarded in the regular garbage pickup due to their tendency to ignite if damaged or crushed.
Arlington Heights garbage truck explosion caught on Police Body Cam, Dash Cam; Did water on CNG cylinder TPRD (temperature-activated pressure relief device) cause the blast? YouTube Tips ⓘ
Garbage truck contents fire on June 6, 2025 at Miner Street and Derbyshire Avenue Arlington Heights just two blocks south of Groot garbage truck fire and explosion that occurred on December 6, 2024 (CARDINAL NEWS). YouTube Tips ⓘ
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