Tanker truck crash closes Alaska Highway at Sikani Bridge, driver believed dead

British Columbia’s Highway 97 remained closed at the Sikani Bridge on Friday after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire.

Investigators believe the driver died in the crash, but are still conducting a search of the area.

Police were first informed that a tanker truck carrying “a large quantity of flammable liquids” was involved in a collision on the bridge around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to an RCMP media release.

The bridge is about 200 kilometres north of Fort St. John on the Alaska Highway, which connects the communities of northeast B.C. from Dawson Creek to Alaska.

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Mounties said officers along with fire crews from Fort St. John and Fort Nelson arrived to find the truck fully engulfed in flame and emitting a thick cloud of toxic smoke.

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The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but police said preliminary information suggested the truck struck a barrier on the bridge and caught fire.

Collision reconstructionists have been deployed, along with a dog squad to search for the driver.

An engineer is also attending to check the structural integrity of the bridge.

Drivers were being warned to seek alternate routes and to advise anyone expecting them that they would face significant delays.

DriveBC said it would provide its next update on the status of the route at 6 p.m.