The Trans-Canada Highway was closed for several hours Sunday afternoon between Revelstoke and Golden, B.C., as officials cleaned up from an avalanche.
The province said no one was hurt when a “small” avalanche came down on Highway 1 around 46 kilometres east of Revelstoke.
“The avalanche did involve one vehicle but did not bury the vehicle,” the province’s Transportation Ministry said in a written statement.
A picture shared on social media shows a white vehicle that appears to be stuck in the path of the avalanche.
Vancouver Island resident Denise Kinney-Bodenham snapped that picture.
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She was headed from Salmon Arm to Fairmont Hot Springs when she came upon the slide path with the vehicle on top of it, minutes after the avalanche happened.
“If it had been another minute, it could have been us,” she said.
Kinney-Bodenham said she and her husband got out of their vehicle to make sure no one had been hurt before deciding to leave the area over concerns there could be a further slide.
“We were relieved that nobody was hurt but we were worried that another avalanche was going to happen,” Kinney-Bodenham said.
“We could see the snow melting, and somebody said they saw the snow shifting up on the cliff.”
She believes the incident could easily have been worse if the vehicle in the slide path had been pushed off the highway.
“I didn’t see it happen so I don’t know how they got on top of the snow, but if the snow would have hit the side of the car, it would have pushed it right over the cliff,” Kinney-Bodenham said.
The province said the highway needed to be closed until the vehicle could be recovered and avalanche control could be completed in the area.
“Warming afternoons create increased avalanche risk at this time of year,” the Transportation Ministry added.
“The ministry continually monitors conditions and is actively conducting controls across the service area.”
The highway has since reopened.
However, Highway 1 will also be closed for scheduled avalanche control work east of Golden from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time.