Fire destroys truck on Ingraham Trail
Highway 4 closes in both directions for two hours
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, February 24, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
No one was hurt but a tanker truck was completely destroyed by fire on the Ingraham Trail on Wednesday afternoon.
A truck hauling two tankers filled with diesel, is engulfed in flames Wednesday afternoon on the Ingraham Trail. - photo courtesy of Richard Abel |
It was the second major incident involving a tanker trailer in the Yellowknife area since Monday.
The fire occurred at kilometre 21, between Prosperous and Prelude Lakes and closed the road in both directions leading to a long lineup of tractor trailers trying to head north.
Smoke from the fire could been seen for several kilometres.
According to the truck's driver, who did not want to give his name, he was hauling diesel to the diamond mines at the time.
"I heard a clunk and then the engine died," he told Yellowknifer. I got out of the truck and saw that it was on fire."
Randy Hepper, general manager for Ventures West, which owns the truck, said all of the company's vehicles have fire extinguishers on board but he wasn't sure whether the driver had an opportunity to utilize it before the blaze grew too large.
"It was a quick response from the driver. He's safe and everything is good that way," Hepper said, adding the city's fire response was quick.
Hepper said an investigation is underway to try to determine what caused the fire. He added the front tanker suffered minor damage.
Several truckers got out of their vehicles and watched as the cab burned out of control until firefighters reached the scene.
It was also the second time this week that Yellowknife fire crews were called out to the same general area. On Monday morning, they battled a house fire inside Prelude Lake Territorial Park but were unable to save the structure. No one was hurt.
Also on Monday, a tanker trailer flipped over on Highway 3 at Deh Cho Boulevard. It was carrying aviation fuel at the time. No one was hurt in that crash, but the road was closed for about four hours in both directions while the crash was investigated and the scene was cleaned up.
Ron Near is the director of winter road operations for the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road to the diamond mines, which begins end of the Ingraham Trail. He stated in an e-mail the incident disrupted dispatches for a few hours but did not affect our overall program.
"There are a number of events that can affect operations including weather, spin-outs etc. We are used to this and adjust," Near stated. "The (winter road) joint venture employs security to monitor operations of commercial vehicles and to assist the public if required. If there are safety infractions we deal with it quickly."
According to Department of Transportation spokesperson Ioana Spiridonica, Ingraham Trail was closed for just over two hours.
