Semi-truck catches fire in East Vancouver
A large semi-truck caught fire in East Vancouver Friday, causing road closures and leaving behind extensive damage to the vehicle.
According to Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, firefighters were called to the area of Victoria Drive and Hastings Street just after 8:30 a.m.
“What they found was a large truck flat-bed with the cab fully involved upon arrival — large amounts of smoke and flames,” explained Assistant Chief of Operations Brad Hesse.
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He says crews used foam to get the fire under control and “secured the vehicle from it rolling down the hill.”
“There were no injuries. The driver was out of the vehicle prior to our arrival,” Hesse added.
“Unfortunately, the diesel tank was compromised during the fire, so we did have an unknown quantity of diesel spilled on the road. We did activate our hazmat team and some assist agencies from the city. They worked together to try and contain the diesel from entering the sewer system.”
The situation forced the closure of the intersection for several hours. Buses have already been allowed through the area, however, it remained closed to passenger vehicles for longer.
It’s unclear what caused the cab of the truck to catch fire. The load the vehicle was carrying was made up of “specialized transformers.”
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Crews note these kinds of fires pose their own set of challenges, compared to structure and other blazes.
“The larger hazards with this vehicle is obviously the amount of fuel they actually carry, plus the fact that we had some objects on the back. So it was a lot of weight on this vehicle. When they’re parked on a hill, if the brakes happen to release, it becomes another level of hazard. So that’s why it was so important that our crews recognized this and they blocked the wheels and secured the vehicle as quickly as they could,” Hesse explained.
“There was an extreme amount of damage to the vehicle. It was burned almost to the ground.”
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-With files from Charlie Carey
