Provincial police say a transport truck "exploded into a fireball' in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 401 at Brock Road in Pickering.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, OPP say the driver of a double-fuel tanker transport truck was eastbound on the 401 when for some unknown reason the driver lost control and the transport truck collided with the centre concrete wall separating eastbound traffic from the westbound lanes of the highway.
"As a result of the collision, the fuel tanker rolled into the westbound lanes, ruptured, and caught fire," police said in a news release.
Police say a passenger vehicle and a transport truck travelling westbound on the 401 drove through the collision scene and caught fire. The two occupants of the passenger vehicle were able to stop and get to safety without injuries. Both transport truck drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Toronto OPP and the OPP-HSD Traffic Support Unit are assisting the coroner with this death investigation.
The two deceased drivers have not been positively identified.
The eastbound and westbound lanes of Highway 401 remain closed for the investigation and cleanup.
Any witnesses or anyone with information or dash cam are asked to call the Toronto OPP at 416-235-4981.
Banner image: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colin Williamson
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2023.
