Highway 3 vehicle fire involved nearly 60,000 litres of fuel

An investigation is ongoing after a tanker carrying nearly 60,000 litres of fuel caught fire while travelling along the NWT’s Highway 3 earlier this week.

Nobody was hurt in the resulting fire, authorities have said. Crews worked overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday to stop the fire spreading to surrounding trees.

Fort Providence’s Big River Service Centre has said the tanker that caught fire was delivering fuel to its gas station.

Big River temporarily ran out of some forms of gasoline as a result. Replacement regular-grade gas arrived on Friday, with a resupply of two premium grades due on Tuesday, August 2, the service centre stated on Facebook.

“We are beyond grateful that no one was injured in the accident and thankful to the emergency responders who kept the fire from spreading to the nearby forested areas,” the service centre wrote.

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.

The NWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the fuel spill reported as a result of the incident was put at 57,399 litres.

While a significant amount of fuel burned off, department spokesperson Mike Westwick said by email, the spill “remains under investigation and we are assessing what is required of the cleanup.”

Westwick added: “We will ensure the responsible party completes that work.”