LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue, RCMP, peace officers and ambulance crews had a busy Wednesday afternoon with two call-outs coming in minutes apart around 5 p.m.
A single-vehicle rollover near a rail crossing on Highway 881 about 15 kilometres north of Lac La Biche saw the lone male occupant of a Jeep Grand Cherokee needing to be cut from the wreckage. Initial reports say the man was not seriously hurt, but was transferred to Lac La Biche's W.J. Cadzow Hospital with undisclosed injuries. The crash snarled traffic on the busy highway for about an hour as emergency crews worked to clear the scene and keep the nearby railway tracks free of obstructions.
At the same time, emergency crews were responding to a structure fire at a home near the Lac La Biche Airport. That call saw fire crews trying to knock down flames to a garage and residential building on a property just south of Nashim Drive on the Airport Road.
Lac La Biche County's Protective Services Manager, and Regional Fire Chief John Kokotilo said both calls during the rush hour kept emergency crews busy.
"At that time of day, the traffic was really something we had to watch — very closely — at the highway crash," he said. "It was really busy out there."
Kokotilo praised the first responders for getting quick assistance to the victim, and safely controlling the traffic in the area. He also commended motorists for their patience.
An RCMP statement issued Wednesday afternoon said the crash involved multiple vehicles, but the regional fire chief said he was only aware of the one vehicle. Details on the crash, including the direction the vehicle had been travelling, possible factor in the crash and details on the driver have not been released.
Kokotilo said few details were also available on the structure fire call-out. He said Fire Stations 1, 2 and 3 were dispatched to the blaze, which he said destroyed at least one outbuilding on the property. While he didn't have a cause for the fire, he said an investigation will likely continue, and it has been listed as a suspicious blaze. There were no initial reports of injuries from the fire scene.
Details on the crash and the fire will be updated when information becomes available
