A propane-powered taxi burst into flames after colliding with another vehicle in Brookswood-Fernridge Wednesday night.
Just after 9:30 p.m., the driver of a Pontiac Sunfire heading eastbound on 28 Avenue ran a stop sign and struck a taxi heading southbound on 200 Street.
“The RCMP asked me to leave the area as they were afraid that the propane powered taxi might explode,” witness Ed Mallett said in an email to the Times.
Township of Langley fire responded with two engines, and quickly doused the flames.
The driver and passenger of the Sunfire were taken to Royal Columbian Hospital with minor injuries, and the driver of the taxi was taken to Langley Memorial Hospital. There were no passengers in the taxi at the time.
Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, said Langley RCMP Traffic Section Sgt. Alexandra Mulvihill.
According to the Township fire department, it’s unlikely the taxi’s propane fuel caused it to catch fire.
“There’s different dangers, usually the tanks on those are well protected,” said Township district fire chief Russ Jenkins.
“But like anything, there are supply lines that run through the engine and different things, just like any car. If a vehicle is in an accident at a certain spot and there’s an ignition source around, any vehicle can catch fire. This particular one, I don’t think there were any additional factors, meaning that I don’t think the propane specifically caused the fire.”
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