RCMP on Vancouver Island say a commercial truck travelling on the Malahat with a crane extended snagged power lines, causing a small brush fire and the closure of the highway for several hours.
Mounties said the truck brought down poles and lines over the highway and South Shawnigan Lake Road.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:40 p.m. on Thursday. Shawnigan Lake RCMP responded to the area of South Shawnigan Lake Road and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Power poles and hydro lines came down over both lanes of the highway and both lanes of Shawnigan Lake Road.
“The incident sparked a small brush fire on the shoulder of the highway which was quickly contained by a civilian with a fire extinguisher,” Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP, said in a release.
“The investigation determined a crane truck, traveling north on the highway, turning left onto Shawnigan Lake Road, had the crane extended, which resulted in the truck snagging lines and pulling them down over both roads. A total of five hydro poles were broken/compromised.”
RCMP said two other commercial trucks were caught in the downed lines; however, there were no reported injuries.
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The highway was closed in both directions for hours, but has since reopened.
In a statement to Global News, Emcon Services confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved.
The company said the operator was not injured and there were no other injuries.
It stated that it has begun an internal investigation into what happened.
“We recognize the significant impact this incident had on motorists and the surrounding community,” the company said in a statement.
“We appreciate the efforts of our workers, BC Hydro, emergency responders, the RCMP, the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) team, and all agencies involved in securing the scene, restoring the area, and reopening the highway.
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