An area roughly one kilometre around a Canadian Pacific Railway yard in Port Coquitlam, B.C., is being evacuated as a fire rages, according to police.
The 6:35 p.m. PT collision caused no injuries, the City of Port Coquitlam said in a statement, and CN says there are no toxic materials on the train.
According to the city, the fire was sparked when a truck carrying ethanol struck a CN Rail train car.
However, a statement from CP said it was actually the train that hit the truck at the yard's entrance onto Lougheed Highway.
"CP crews are responding to the incident, working closely with local police and local fire," a spokesperson wrote. "Public and employee safety will be the primary focus as crews continue to respond."
The city said on Twitter that Lougheed Highway is closed from Shaughnessy Street to the Oxford Connector.
Pictures from the scene distributed on social media show a sizeable blaze.
More footage I took from the #PortCoquitlam rail yard fire pic.twitter.com/GipHEXFYsy
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@seanlocations
Update: Tanker truck carrying ethanol gas hit a CN Rail Car which is the cause of fire. We can report the driver & CP Rail crew are all safe. No injuries. @CQRCMP evacuating area 800 meter radius of site. Confirmation from CN Rail there are no toxic materials being carried. pic.twitter.com/pOGOQYmJ2f
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@CityofPoCo
More to come
