A pickup truck driver who decided to do doughnuts on an icy Aldergrove cul de sac got more than he bargained for when his vehicle went up in flames last week.
The incident took place on Friday, Jan. 7, and unfortunately wasn’t the first time the area has seen dangerous driving, said Leonard Buhler, who works at one of the businesses in the area.
“There’s a whole team of people that race here all the time,” Buhler said.
This incident wasn’t a race, but it did lead to the destruction of a vehicle.
The large pickup pulled into the snow-covered cul-de-sac near 275th Street and 51A Avenue at about 9:50 p.m., and a passenger got out. On security video supplied by Buhler, the passenger can be seen at the edge of the road holding up a phone to get video images.
The driver then spins the truck around in a few doughnuts, blasting clouds of thick, black diesel smoke from the truck’s tailpipe.
However, after just a few doughnuts, less than four minutes after arriving in the cul de sac, something goes wrong.
Bright flames are visible under the hood near the front wheels. The passenger runs back towards the driver.
The driver flees the cab of the truck so fast that he slips and falls on the slick ice.
Driver and passenger then run off down the street, leaving the truck to burn furiously.
A little over 15 minutes after the fire started, Langley Township firefighters arrived, confirmed assistant fire chief Dale Steeple.
He said the truck was fully engulfed in flames by the times crews showed up on the scene.
They doused the blaze, and the RCMP were called about the incident. The truck was left a charred ruin.
Buhler brought the incident to public attention, releasing security video of it, because he’s hoping it will put pressure on street racers and stunt drivers who use the streets of the Gloucester Industrial Estates for dangerous driving at nights.
“It’s out of control,” Buhler said.
He’s worried that the dangerous driving will get someone killed.
The Langley RCMP are doing what they can about the dangerous drivers, but the street racers aren’t being dissuaded, Buhler said.
As for the driver, Buhler said he was contacted this week by ICBC, seeking the video of the truck fire. The driver had apparently made an insurance claim.
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