The Little Fort Fire Department received a call about a motor vehicle fire on Highway 24 around 11 Sunday morning.
Blackpool Fire Chief Mike Savage said a tractor-trailer carrying petroleum products lost its brakes on the last part of highway 24 on the hill and entered into the last lane for the 108 roads near Cartwright Road.
The driver came to a stop after going approximately 450 meters into the runaway lane with the wheels and the undercarriage on fire.
Savage explained what happened next.
“Crews responded from Little Fort and Blackpool. Upon arrival, Little Fort crews attempted an initial attack however due to the rural remote location, and the limited water, a sustained safe attack was impossible. Approximately 10 minutes after the order to pull back and come back to the safety zone the tank ruptured.”
Savage said the fire was extinguished and fortunately it didn’t spread into the forest area.
RCMP was also on scene and Clearwater Detachment Commander Sargeant Grant Simpson said that there were a couple of homes close to the incident that were evacuated during the Highway closure which lasted for several hours.
Police say the driver of the truck was not injured.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
