Impairment ruled out in fiery crash that killed 1 in B.C. Interior Thursday, police say

The fiery crash that killed one person and closed Highway 1 north of Spences Bridge Thursday was the result of a head-on collision between two tractor-trailer trucks attempting to negotiate a curve, police said in an update Friday.

Images of the carnage on social media had suggested as much, with flames visible on one commercial truck and another on its side in the roadway.

While they said their investigation was still in its early stages Friday, BC Highway Patrol's Kamloops detachment provided a more-detailed narrative of events than had previously been officially confirmed.

"The initial investigation has determined that the two vehicles collided head-on while negotiating a curve," the BCHP's Friday statement reads.

"The northbound tractor-trailer came to a rest down a steep embankment and on the CN track below. A fire ensued and the driver of the northbound tractor-trailer, a Lower Mainland male, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the southbound-tractor trailer was uninjured and is co-operating with the investigation."

Police said both Highway 1 and the CN track were closed Thursday, but have since reopened.

While "all avenues of investigation are being considered," police said they have ruled out impairment by drugs or alcohol as a possible factor in the crash.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call BCHP Kamloops at 250-828-3111, extension 2, police said.