Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews put out a semi truck fire on Vanderneuk Road on Monday morning. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews put out a semi truck fire on Vanderneuk Road on Monday morning. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Semi truck catches fire in north Nanaimo

Crews arrive on scene to find truck fully engulfed in flames Monday morning on Vanderneuk Road

  • Aug. 24, 2020 12:00 a.m.

Firefighters were called to deal with a semi truck, fully ablaze, in north Nanaimo this morning.

Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews were called to a report of a semi engulfed in flame, pulling a load of lumber, at a construction site in the 5700 block of Vanderneuk Road.

The engine compartment of the truck was fully engulfed, but Nanaimo Fire Rescue Lieut. Mark Overton, who was the scene commander, said the truck’s driver had discharged two fire extinguishers onto the flames, which helped slow the progress of the blaze until firefighters arrived.

The location where the truck caught fire was near homes under construction that are in the framing stage.

“We arrived on the scene and the driver was … trying to extinguish the fire,” Overton said. “We pulled a line, extinguished the truck and the rest is history.”

The truck’s load of lumber and fabricated wooden beams was not impacted by the fire and no one was injured. It will take some hours to remove the truck and its load from the scene before the section of road can be opened again.


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