A driver escaped unharmed after the vehicle they were in caught fire on a highway in Greater Victoria on Sunday afternoon, according to a local fire department.
At around 2:04 p.m., crews with View Royal Fire Department responded to a vehicle that was on fire in the northbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway near the Helmcken Road interchange. Video footage submitted to CHEK News shows a KIA sport-utility vehicle on fire in the passing lane.
Capt. Troy Mollin, View Royal Fire Department, told CHEK News that the occupant of the vehicle escaped unharmed and that crews were able to extinguish the blaze quickly once they arrived on scene.
“We were able to knock it down pretty fast,” he said, later adding. “There was some significant damage to the road from the fire.”
The blaze resulted in both northbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway before the Helmcken Road off-ramp to Colwood being blocked for about 45 minutes to an hour.
RCMP were the first on scene and had blocked the highway before firefighters arrived, according to Mollin, who said the cause was due to some kind of mechanical issue.
He also thanked motorists for being patient while crews dealt with the situation.
CHEK News
