UPDATE 4:00 p.m.: Highway 1 between Ashcroft and Cache Creek has reopened to single lane, alternating traffic.
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Highway 1 south of Ashcroft has been closed since approximately 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27 due to a serious vehicle incident which has left two people dead.
The highway is closed from Cornwall Road near Ashcroft to Spences Bridge. Alternate routes are Highway 97C from Ashcroft and Highway 8 from Spences Bridge.
The incident occurred near Basque Road around 7:30 p.m. on July 27, and involved a semi truck and a southbound Honda Civic. Police say that the Honda appears to have crossed the centre line and collided head-on with the semi.
When emergency crews, including Ashcroft Fire Rescue, arrived on scene the semi was off the road and on fire. Both the driver of the semi and the driver of the Honda — that vehicle’s lone occupant — were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the car was a woman believed to be from the United States.
The fire sparked by the semi spread to nearby grasslands, and was dealt with by members of Ashcroft Fire Rescue in order to stop it spreading further, either through the grass or to some nearby outbuildings. Ashcroft firefighters established a containment perimeter and fought the fire before handing over to BC Wildfire Service.
As of the morning of July 28, there are indications of hotspots in the area of the burned semi.
There is no estimate of when the highway will reopen. For more information and updates on the highway’s status, check www.drivebc.ca.
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