Okanagan Connector closed Sunday due to tractor trailer fire – West Kelowna News

Photo: Contributed

A truck caught fire on the Okanagan Connector early Sunday morning.

UPDATE: 12:30 p.m.

It appears the Okanagan Connector will remain closed for most of Sunday afternoon, following an overnight semi-truck fire west of Peachland.

The tractor trailer caught fire some time after 1 a.m. Sunday morning, between Trepanier and Brenda Mine roads. The highway has remained closed ever since, and DriveBC has been unable to provide an estimated time it might reopen.

In its latest update on the situation, which says there’s been no change, DriveBC says its next update won’t be coming until 5 p.m. This suggests the highway is not expected to reopen until at least then.

It’s not clear why the truck fire has resulted in such a lengthy closure. Last November, a commercial truck carrying hazardous materials caught fire in a similar area on the Connector, leading to a 17-hour closure.

Castanet has reached out to the Ministry of Transportation for further details on the fire.

Additionally, a second vehicle fire just before 11 a.m. on the Connector, west of the Pennask Summit, resulted in the closure of the highway between Pennask Summit and Aspen Grove earlier Sunday.

??UPDATE #BCHwy97C A secondary vehicle fire between Pennask Summit and Aspen Grove, highway remains CLOSED.

No changes to the vehicle fire at Trepanier Rd and Brenda Mine Rd. Next update approx. 12:00PM. Expect significant delays. #KelownaBC #MerrittBChttps://t.co/WNvFuZEb6D pic.twitter.com/jE8IM90xfl

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) May 12, 2024

UPDATE: 8:05 a.m.

The Okanagan Connector remains closed in both directions Sunday morning, and it’s not clear when it might be reopened.

A tractor trailer caught fire in the eastbound lanes of the highway about seven kilometres east of Trepanier Road, just after 1 a.m., forcing the closure of the Connector.

In an 8 a.m. update, DriveBC says an assessment of the scene is currently underway, but no estimated time of reopening has been provided.

ORIGINAL: 6:30 a.m.

A tractor trailer caught fire on the Okanagan Connector in the early morning hours of Sunday, closing down the highway just west of Peachland.

The vehicle fire occurred in the eastbound lanes just after 1 a.m., about seven kilometres east of Trepanier Road. The incident closed the Connector in both directions, and it remains closed as of 6:30 a.m.

DriveBC says it will provide a new update at 8 a.m.

It’s not clear at this time what the truck was carrying. Last November, a commercial truck carrying hazardous materials caught fire in a similar area on the Connector, leading to a 17-hour closure.

One Castanet reader said they were driving home from Vancouver at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday when they came upon the burned-out truck. That driver says an RCMP officer on scene said the driver of the truck was OK, but that the eastbound lanes could be closed through much of Sunday.

“It’s Mother’s Day and who knows how early people are going to get going only to find out they can’t get through. Now that I’ve just arrived home at 4:45 AM, I know how I will be spending my Mother’s Day… sleeping.”

Photo: DriveBC