DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
A fuel truck that fell through the Deline ice road about four weeks ago was removed March 30, says the vice president of the trucking company.

A fuel truck that crashed through the ice road about three km outside Deline on March 5 has been safetly freed from the ice. - photo courtesy of Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Norm Bassett, vice president of Bassett Petroleum, explained the process.

"We had to break away the ice from around the truck and trailer to free it up and then we had to move equipment in place to lift it straight up and to slide it sideways and put it down on the ground, basically," he explained.

The truck will be taken to Norman Wells until the company decides the best way to bring it to Hay River. Bassett said it will either be shipped when barge season begins or the company could wait until next winter and use the ice road.

"They're going to haul it to Norman Wells and then from there we'll decide how we're going to get it out of there," he said.

Workers with the Department of Transportation had begun removing the truck's load of fuel the week of March 7 and it was empty when the truck was extracted from the ice.

The truck had been carrying a load of fuel as part of Deline's annual fuel resupply. When the truck went through the ice, there were still about 70 fuel trucks that needed to get into Deline to fully supply the community.

Bassett said all of the fuel destined for Deline has now made it and added he wanted to thank crews from Norman Wells and Tulita, as well as the Department of Transportation for their work, as well as apologize to the people of Deline.

"It was a cohesion between everybody to get this done very precisely and very delicately and it I would say it was handled great," he said. "If there was any inconvenience we just want to say sorry."

Bassett said staff with Bassett Petroleum stayed in Deline for the month the truck was stuck in the ice and he also visited the community for about four days. He said he was grateful for the hospitality and support they received.

"They're good people, very helpful and supportive," he said.