A semi-truck collided with a parked pick up truck last week, causing $100,000 in pyrotechnics to explode in a fiery fireworks show.
On Thursday, a collision on near Hope, British Columbia on the Trans-Canada Highway led to an explosion and the ignition of fireworks, that left the pickup truck completely burnt down to a the metal frame.
According to authorities, a semi rear-ended the pickup truck, which was towing a trailer carrying a “large quantity” of fireworks.
Highway accident causes explosive fireworks show
The collision occurred when the pickup truck, pulled over on the side of the road at around 10 p.m., was struck from behind by the tractor-trailer.
“The pickup truck was in the ditch on fire and the semi went off to his right and hit this big boulder,” witness Chantal Shaw described.
Fortunately, both drivers were able to escape their vehicles, with one of them sustaining minor injuries and being transported to nearby Fraser Canyon Hospital.
The crash and subsequent fireworks explosion necessitated caution from first responders due to the potential danger.
The highway had to be temporarily closed while emergency services dealt with the situation and the fireworks eventually burnt out.
“Obviously, the fireworks were quite the display to passerby motorists,” said Cpl. Carmen Kiener of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Witnesses describe accidental fireworks show
Motorist Ryan Kuhn said he came around a corner and saw “a raging inferno of fireworks,” which he noted “seemed very strange for 10 o’clock at night.”
Other eyewitnesses reported the loud noise and magnitude of the explosion, which caused traffic congestion along the highway.
Shaw said the entire highway was backed up as $100,000 worth of fireworks put on an hour long impromptu extravaganza that she described as “the best fireworks show” she’s ever seen.
“I was hiding in the car, just holding my phone out the sun roof because I didn’t want to get hit by a stray rocket or anything,” she told the news outlet. “It was just so loud and so huge.”
Fireworks show described as scary and beautiful
Monica De Roo, who was driving with her husband on Highway 1 when the incident occurred, described the experience as both scary and beautiful.
She noted that the fireworks display was loud, aggressive, and seemingly out of nowhere.
Despite the danger, some witnesses found the explosion awe-inspiring, or “something out of a movie,” as De Roo described it.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she added.
Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision and subsequent ignition of the fireworks.
