Mounties are investigating a fiery head-on collision between a car and a tractor trailer carrying wood chips that killed at least one person and sparked a forest fire adjacent to the highway, north of Quesnel.
A southbound car crossed the centre line and hit the northbound truck around 3:15 p.m. near Brookwood Ranch, killing the car’s driver, said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Madonna Saunderson.
The car was engulfed in flames.
Investigators were waiting for the car to cool down before they could confirm whether or not any passengers were killed, Saunderson said.
“We think there’s two people in that vehicle, although that’s not confirmed,” she said. “The driver and lone occupant of the chip truck appears to be uninjured.”
Both vehicles caught fire, sparking a blaze in the nearby trees which firefighters were still battling on Wednesday night.
The highway was closed in both directions.