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WATCH: car goes up in flames north of Vernon

First-hand witness believes driver was involved in a hit and run prior to the incident
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Footage of a vehicle fire on Highway 97A north of Vernon was posted to Facebook Thursday evening, April 9. (Tom Jay photo)

A vehicle went up in flames on the highway between Vernon and Armstrong Thursday evening, in what a witness describes as an explosive end to a hit and run.

Emergency crews responded to the vehicle on Highway 97A, south of the Tolko saw mill, around 7 p.m. April 9. No injuries have been reported at this time.

Police have not confirmed the incident as a hit-and-run.

Tom Jay was on his motorcycle in front of the vehicle before it came to a halt, and posted a video to Facebook showing the car as it was catching fire.

In the video, Jay describes the driver as a “thief who was breaking into vehicles” at the Armstrong 7-11. He then describes an altercation, after which the driver left in a hurry, and said he heard the sound of two vehicles colliding.

“I didn’t see the collision, but I have on video the sound of the crash,” he said.

The RCMP have not confirmed any details about the driver or any altercation at the 7-11.

Jay also shared a live video he took while emergency crews were attending to the scene, which captures the blaze in its near entirety.

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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