Two separate vehicle fires broke out on the Malahat on Friday, with one blaze happening early in the morning near Goldstream Park, and another later in the afternoon, just south of Malahat Skywalk.
In the Malahat Hiway Conditions Facebook group, a user shared a photo just before 2 p.m. of what appeared to be a Kia pulled to the side of the road, with its front hood erupting in flames. The user said they saw the car heading south, about half a kilometre past Malahat Skywalk, at 1:51 p.m.
The Facebook user also shared a video of the fire with Goldstream News Gazette.
In a call with the Malahat SkyWalk, staff confirmed that the fire broke out in the early afternoon, followed by traffic congestion shortly after. They reported that ambulances responded to the scene. According to guests, traffic was slowed for some time, though no official road closure was issued.
Goldstream News Gazette reached out to the Malahat Fire Department several times and has yet to hear back.
The fire wasn't the only one seen on the Malahat Friday as Langford Fire Rescue responded to another incident just before 8 a.m. on the Trans-Canada Highway, in the northbound lanes past Goldstream Park.
“We responded just before 8 o'clock to a report of a vehicle fire,” Langford Fire Deputy Chief Scott Davidson said. “Crews arrived on scene and found a fully involved car.”
“They told us that they pulled over when smoke started coming out from under the hood,” he said. “The only thing that I've been told is the occupants were driving northbound in the slower lane. They pulled out into the passing lane, and they heard a pop, and then they pulled back over – and that's when the smoke started coming, but they [saw it] under the hood.”
Davidson confirmed no injuries were reported and said the occupants “did the right thing” by safely exiting the vehicle as soon as they noticed something was wrong.
Multiple users on Facebook described the first fire in dramatic terms.
“Fully engulfed in flames!” one user said.
