Fire broke out at the Canadian Pacific Railyard in Port Coquitlam Monday night after a tanker truck carrying ethanol collided with a rail car.
The Coquitlam RCMP evacuated businesses within 800 metres of the blaze and the Lougheed Highway between Shaughnessy Street and Coast Meridian Road has been shut down until further notice.
PoCo Fire Chief Nick Delmonico told reporters at 9 p.m. that due to the nature of the fire, it was difficult for crews to battle the blaze.
“We don’t know the limit of the fuel in the car at this point,” he said during a news conference in a parking lot on Shaughnessy Street. “We also have diesel tanks on the train that are a concern 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 and intended to let the fire burn out before moving into the area.
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.
