One person was killed and another airlifted to hospital in life-threatening condition after two semis collided on Highway 16 west of Evansburg Friday morning.
RCMP said the collision on the Yellowhead Highway happened near Range Road 111, between Evansburg and Nojack, around 8:50 a.m.
Police said the two semis collided and a large fire ensued. Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said the early indication is that one of the vehicles rear-ended the other at a high rate of speed.
“We do know that there is one male who is deceased from this collision. A second individual has been taken by STARS air ambulance in threatening condition to area hospital,” Savinkoff said.
One of the trucks was hauling a tanker trailer and the other was carrying a load of poles, Savinkoff said. As of Friday afternoon, police were still working to demine what was in the tanker but suspect it may have been the reason for the massive fire.
Video sent to Global News showed a large fire giving off a thick, black plume of smoke. The fire has since been extinguished.
Traffic was being diverted and police anticipated being on the scene for several hours.
“Large collisions do have a tremendous effect on area residents, and they’re tragic and they’re very unfortunate,” Savinkoff said.
It’s not known where the drivers were from.