Residents are being urged to take care when disposing of hot ashes after a rubbish truck caught fire this week.
The Clutha District Council said it believed hot ashes, collected from a wheelie bin in the Rosebank area of Balclutha, caused the fire on Monday morning.
The truck was driven to the Balclutha railway yards, where its contents could be unloaded and the fire extinguished.
Council area engineer John O'Neill said the driver's quick actions meant there was no damage to the truck.
The incident was a reminder of how the careless disposal of waste could lead to a serious fire.
Hot ashes and other inflammable materials are among items that are not allowed in wheelie bins.
Bulky items that cannot be enclosed within a wheelie bin are not permitted, eitherMr O'Neill also said wheelie bins put out for collection must not weigh more than 30kg.
Waste must be fully contained within an approved bin, with the lid firmly closed.
"Bins that do not meet the weight criteria, or which are over-full, may not be picked up."
Property owners were liable for the replacement cost of a wheelie bin damaged by hot ashes or any other non-permitted waste, he said.
