Fiery Saskatoon crash shuts down major roadway in city’s north end

Saskatoon police say a medical event was the cause of the fiery crash that shut down a major roadway in the city’s north end due Tuesday morning.

Police issued an advisory at 7:31 a.m. warning of the crash at Circle Drive and Millar Avenue.

The collision, which involves a semi-truck, blocked the east and westbound lanes on Circle Drive, police said. Pictures shared with Global News show the semi-truck engulfed in flames.

“Motorists are advised to take alternate routes until the scene can be cleared,” police said.

The City of Saskatoon said in a news release the fire department, which received a call for a semi-truck on fire at 7;04 a.m., had been extinguished by 8:03 a.m.

The city said the semi-truck and its trailer unit had struck a light standard. No injuries were reported. The truck’s occupant was able to exit safely, it added.

Traffic was rerouted via Venture Crescent to bypass the incident and return to Circle Drive eastbound.

The city shared an update just before 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon that Circle Drive’s eastbound lanes had reopened following the collision.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Crews spent the morning and early afternoon hours removing overhead signage and street light structures that were knocked down in the collision, the city said.

It’s the city’s responsibility to fix the downed signage as it falls within its jurisdiction, the City of Saskatoon told Global News in a statement.

Sanding trucks have been sent to the location, the city says, adding that drivers are advised that parts of the roadway may be icy and to adjust speed accordingly.

Clair Andreas works at a gym across the street from the crash and says she heard the crash from the front desk.

“It was very loud, no smoke just yet. It was lots of sirens, lots of lights, lots of noise,” she said.

Andreas’ co-worker came across the crash as he was getting into work, but said he didn’t think much of it at first.

“It looked controlled. There’s police, there’s firefighters, there’s everything. I didn’t see anybody in the truck or anything, so I didn’t think it was that bad, and then literally 10 minutes later, the flames were over 10 feet high, almost,” said Zach Robertson.

Robertson added that things quickly got chaotic, with gym goers rushing to see what was going on.

“It smelled like burning plastic,” he said. “I hope the driver’s okay.”