A pickup truck driver was pulled out of his burning vehicle by another motorist and two others at the scene following a fiery crash on the Trans-Canada Highway near Nanaimo Airport this morning.
Emergency crews responded at about 5:45 a.m. to the two-vehicle collision near Cedar Road, where a pickup truck and a logging truck had been involved in a crash in the northbound lanes.
The pickup burst into flames immediately, but the driver of the logging truck and two employees of nearby Schnitzer Steel used fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire, said Capt. Kristopher Hill of North Oyster Volunteer Fire Department.
The fire was too large to extinguish, but “they did knock it down enough to extricate the driver of the pickup out and they dragged him to safety,” Hill said. “The pickup truck remained fully involved and [the fire] picked up in intensity … The actions of the semi driver and the workers at Schnitzer definitely saved the life of the pickup truck driver.”
North Oyster crews rolled four apparatus and were able to put out the fire, which had spread to the log deck.
Hill said the driver of the pickup truck was transported to hospital with serious injuries.
Both northbound lanes were completely closed for 30-45 minutes, and then one northbound lane was opened up. Crews were at the scene for close to three hours.
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