A hay truck fire on Hwy. 99 in South Surrey around 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon ultimately closed down traffic in both directions until the early evening.
According to Surrey Fire, a semi-trailer fully loaded with hay was southbound on Hwy. 99 (initially reported as northbound by a spokesperson) when the driver realized the load was on fire and pulled over, between the 24 Avenue and 16 Avenue overpasses.
Three fire engines, three tenders and 18 firefighters and a battalion chief were dispatched to the scene.
By shortly after 5 p.m. the fire was reported as having been “knocked down” and hot spots were being extinguished, but hay strewn around the scene resulted in all southbound lanes being shut down for an extended period until the road could be cleared, while emergency vehicles effectively blocked northbound traffic until the fire could be brought under control.
More to come…
Emergency crews respond to fire on Highway 99 Thursday evening. (Shane Mackichan photos/video)
