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UPDATE: Fire at Port Coquitlam rail yard under control

Evacuation order lifted, residents told to remain inside

A massive fire raged through the CP Rail yard in Port Coquitlam after a collision between a tanker truck carrying ethanol and a rail car around 6:30 p.m. Monday night.

By 10 p.m. the fire was under control and an evacuation order had been eased for the area.

“We remind all residents to please stay inside and avoid the area,” an online notice posted on the municipal Facebook page said.

The Lougheed Hwy was closed in both directions between Shaughnessy Street and the Oxford Connector. It repoortedly re-opened around midnight.

The driver and CP Rail crew were all safe, the municipality said. No injuries were reported.

CP Rail said there were no toxic materials being carried.

According to various reports and eye witness statements, there was a loud bang, seconds before a ball of fire shot into the sky.