Image: Hope Fire Department / Multiple agencies headed up by the Hope Fire Department responded to a semi truck fire Monday night that blocked the westbound lanes of Highway 1 near exit 168 (Flood Hope Road) in Hope. The driver of the truck was OK when Hope firefighters arrived on scene and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Hope Fire Department

Multiple agencies respond after semi truck erupts in flames on Hwy. 1 in Hope

Dec 5, 2023 | 3:12 PM

HOPE — Multiple agencies headed up by the Hope Fire Department responded to a semi truck fire Monday night that blocked the westbound lanes of Highway 1 near exit 168 (Flood Hope Road) in Hope.

According to a statement from the Hope Fire Department, firefighters received multiple reports of a semi truck on fire around 10:45 p.m. Monday (Dec. 4). On arrival, Hope firefighters discovered a truck fully engulfed in flames, with fire extending into the trailers contents. The load contained a mixed nature, Hope Fire said, and was extremely volatile to its suppression efforts.

“Upon arrival, we encountered a fully engulfed semi-truck, with the fire now having spread to both the trailer and its contents,” Hope Fire Chief Thomas Cameron wrote in an email to Fraser Valley Today. “Owing to the unknown cargo, the fire presented a heightened degree of volatility towards our suppression efforts, necessitating the need for extreme caution for the rest of the night.”

Both westbound lanes were closed as a precaution until the fire could be brought under control.

Nine firefighters from the Hope Fire Department remained on scene until 3 a.m. Four fire engines from Hope Fire responded along with support from B.C. Ambulance, RCMP and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

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The driver of the truck self extricated and was safe when firefighters arrived. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Hope Fire said in a statement.

The fire call was the third fire-related dispatch in less than 12 hours, Chief Cameron said in an email to Fraser Valley Today.

“Their dedication and commitment to ensuring the safety of the community remains unparalleled,” Cameron said.