North

1 dead in truck fire that closed Alaska Highway Thursday

A single vehicle crash that left a semi-truck burning in a ditch south of Whitehorse resulted in the death of its 39-year-old driver, according to Yukon RCMP.

Truck driver, 39, died at the scene

Heavy traffic is seen on a bending highway.
Traffic starts to pile up on the Alaska Highway after a semi-truck overturned on the highway and caught fire. Officials closed the section of the highway between the Carcross Cutoff to Jakes Corner for about five hours on Thursday. (Kiyoshi McGuire/CBC)

A single vehicle crash that left a semi-truck burning in a ditch south of Whitehorse Thursday resulted in the death of its 39-year-old driver, according to Yukon RCMP.

It happened just before 9 a.m. near the Lewes River Bridge on the Alaska Highway. 

Police said the semi-truck was travelling northbound when it left the road and caught fire. 

The highway was closed for about five hours while 16 different agencies responded. 

The driver, who was from Alberta, died at the scene, police said. A 59-year-old passenger, also from Alberta, suffered "undisclosed" injuries.

The Yukon Coroners Service is still investigating the accident.