Firefighters were working Thursday afternoon to extinguish a fire involving an electric garbage truck in Fresno after crews detected gases consistent with a lithium-ion battery fire, authorities said.

The Fresno Fire Department said the commercial vehicle fire was reported shortly after noon on North Winery Avenue near Princeton Avenue.

The driver told firefighters that they heard popping sounds and saw smoke coming from the trash collection portion of the vehicle.

The department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team responded to assist. Gas readings taken by crews were consistent with a lithium-ion battery fire, and firefighters suspect a battery may have been discarded in one of the waste receptacles collected by the truck.

Firefighters faced additional challenges because the truck’s design prevents its trash load from being dumped without power, the department said. Crews were working to find another way to access the load and fully extinguish the fire.

Winery Avenue was closed between Princeton and Michigan avenues while crews worked to safely mitigate the incident. Authorities asked drivers to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

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