Photo: Castanet

Two people are dead following a fiery head-on collision Tuesday on Highway 5 near Clearwater.

Emergency crews were called to a stretch of the highway near Cliff Road, east of Clearwater near Birch Island, just before 1 a.m. for a report of a crash.

“A semi truck and a CN truck hit head on, then became engulfed in flames after a tank exploded on one of the trucks,” RCMP Cpl. Melissa Jongema said in a news release.

“A small wildfire broke out due to the vehicle fire, but the local fire department attended and the fire is now contained.”

Jongema said the driver of the CN truck and a passenger in the transport truck were killed. The driver of the semi and a passenger in the CN truck are in hospital in critical but stable condition.

The highway was closed for nearly 12 hours while crews investigated and cleared the scene.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call police at 778-290-5761.