Houston RCMP are looking for anyone who witnessed the accident leading to the fire that consumed the semi towing a Purolator freight trailer in the very early morning of May 25 and who has not yet spoken with police.
The single-vehicle accident took place at Hwy. 16 and Morgan Road at around 1 a.m. May 25 when the semi travelling east on Hwy. 16 crossed the centre line and went off the road to the left and into the ditch, said Houston RCMP Sergeant Mark Smaill.
“The driver was able to extract himself from the vehicle and was assisted by a passing motorist until emergency services arrived,” he said.
The driver was not injured from the fire but did suffer non life-threatening injuries from the accident and was taken to hospital by paramedics.
District of Houston fire chief Jim Daigneault said the driver was complaining of a sore back.
The cab was completely destroyed by the fire but the trailer did not suffer any fire-caused damage.
As to the cause of the fire, Daigneault said the initial thought is that it started when the truck struck the Morgan Road abutment and that the matter remains under investigation.
“The highway was closed in both directions for approximately an hour in order to support the fire fighting efforts,” said Smaill.
Daigneault said the department’s rescue truck had just finished with a call west of town and went straight to this accident scene. One of the department’s other vehicles responded straight from the firehall.
A Purolator official said it was working with police to determine the cause of the accident.
“There will be no service impacts resulting from this accident, and we’re working with police to investigate further,” said the official.
If anyone witnessed this event and has not yet spoke to police, please contact the Houston RCMP at 250-845-2204.