One person was killed and Highway 16 was closed east of Prince George for several hours following a head-on collision Wednesday morning.
Police, firefighters and highway rescue personnel were called to the scene, just east of the Willow River rest area about 40 kilometres east of the the city, shortly before 8 a.m. where they encountered one of the vehicles engulfed in fire.
The driver of a westbound Ford Mustang, that police say crossed the centre line and struck an eastbound Chevrolet pickup truck, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
Three other people were transported to University Hospital of Northern B.C. The truck's passenger was in critical condition while the driver suffered serious injuries and the car's passenger suffered moderate injuries, police said.
The car fire delayed the start of an investigation into the crash's cause and the stretch was completely closed to traffic for more than four hours, then reopened to single-lane alternating traffic over the lunch hour. It was completely reopened a few hours later, according to Drive B.C.
Anyone with any information or who may have witnessed the crash, is asked to contact the RCMP's regional traffic services unit at 250-649-4004.
"Police are interested in any information relating to the pre-crash actions of either vehicle," RCMP Staff Sgt. Pat McTiernan said.
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