Advertisement

Both drivers dead as tractor trailers collide on TCH near Bishop's Falls

An eyewitness photo provided to CBC News shows a tractor-trailer on fire on the Trans-Canada Highway near Bishop's Falls on Wednesday evening. (Submitted/Name withheld by CBC - image credit)
An eyewitness photo provided to CBC News shows a tractor-trailer on fire on the Trans-Canada Highway near Bishop's Falls on Wednesday evening. (Submitted/Name withheld by CBC - image credit)
Submitted/Name withheld by CBC
Submitted/Name withheld by CBC

Two people are dead following a head-on collision on the Trans Canada Highway in central Newfoundland Wednesday night.

Two tractor-trailers crashed shortly before 9 p.m. NT.

Both trucks were carrying heavy loads and burst into flames, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

"Apparently there was an explosion," said Gary Harnum, chief of the Bishop's Falls fire department, who added firefighters were called to the crash just before darkness fell.

Harnum said there was a lot of flame and thick black smoke billowing from the two trucks as they approached the collision.

While he said it only took firefighters about 10 or 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, Harnum described the accident as bad.

"That was probably one of the biggest, biggest accident scenes for a fire in a long while," he said.

He said there was burning fuel and rubber, as well as a log home on one of the tractor-trailers, leaving a big mess along the road to be cleaned up.

A section of the Trans-Canada Highway in central Newfoundland remains closed Thursday as police investigators gathered evidence where two tractor-trailers collided.

Police expect the area of road between exits 21 and 22 to be closed for several days as police process and clean up the scene.

Traffic is still being diverted through Bishop's Falls. Harnum asked motorists to slow down as they drive through the town.

Police are asking any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact the RCMP in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador