Photo: Facebook screenshot

A truck loaded with tires caught fire and left the road in front of the volunteer department fire hall on Friday in Crescent Valley.

A truck had caught fire near the Crescent Valley fire hall earlier today and had closed Highway 6 down in the rural community 24 kilometres west of Nelson.

The vehicle was loaded with tires when it caught fire and left the road in front of the volunteer department early Friday afternoon, according to a post on the Winlaw bulletin board on Facebook.

The highway was closed when the incident first occurred, but around 1:30 p.m. it was open to one lane to allow some vehicles through, and it is now reported to be fully open.

The cause of the fire or if there were any serious injuries sustained by anyone in the vehicle are not known at this time. One person has reported that an elderly gentleman and his dog were able to successfully, and safely, exit the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames.