Fire broke out at the Port Coquitlam rail yard Monday night after a tanker truck carrying ethanol collided with a CN Rail car.
The Coquitlam RCMP evacuated homes and businesses within 800 metres of the blaze and shut down the Lougheed Highway between Shaughnessy Street and Coast Meridian Road until further notice.
PoCo Fire Chief Nick Delmonico said at 9 p.m. that crews were still working to contain the incident.
“We don’t know the limit of the fuel in the car at this point,” he told reporters at a news conference in a parking lot on Shaughnessy Street. “We also have diesel tanks on the train that are a concerns for us as well. We did have a number of other trains in the yard that were loaded with other chemicals that were rather dangerous.”
He added that crews had to make sure that the area was secure before moving in to suppress the fire.
So far, no injuries have been reported, but flames could be seen from miles away. There were reports that the CP Police and CP Hazmat team were dispatched to the scene and the city of Abbotsford sent its foam truck and trailer under police escort to assist with the incident.
The city of Port Coquitlam has advised residents and commuters to avoid the area.
