Northeast Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood woke up to the putrid smell of smoldering garbage Thursday morning.

A trash truck caught on fire and was forced to dump its flaming load in the intersection of North Highland and St. Charles avenues, according to Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford. Fire crews were called to douse the pile of rubbish, sending huge plumes of smoke into the air about 7:30 a.m.

Stafford said he did not know what caused the fire, but he said no other nearby structures were ever in danger of going up in flames.

The blaze was extinguished by 8:30 a.m. The intersection remained closed for several more hours while sanitation crews swept up the mess.

The roads were expected to reopen shortly after street sweeping work began at 11 a.m.

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