Emergency crews were busy in Burnaby Thursday, Jan. 11, after a sudden snowfall and plunging temperatures.
The Burnaby Fire Department said it dealt with 90 calls in a 24-hour period – 20 of them motor vehicle accidents ranging from minor fender benders to multi-car pile-ups, according to assistant fire Chief Derek Masaro.
He said two fire trucks were also struck by sliding vehicles.
Among the multi-vehicle crashes firefighters responded to was a pile-up in the 5900 block of Marine Drive that shut down Byrne Road.
Burnaby was also called to assist with a crash on the Queensborough Bridge involving up to a dozen vehicles.
"The cold weather played havoc with the roads," Masaro told the NOW. "Crews were very busy."
A video posted on social media also showed a major pile-up on Nelson Avenue between Rumble Street and Marine Drive.
The video shows a line of smashed-up, abandoned vehicles criss-crossed on the street, one with a pool of red fluid just outside the driver's side door.
Police were called to the scene just before 8 p.m., according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Const. Laura Hirst.
She said more than 15 vehicles were involved, setting off air bags in many of them, but no serious injuries were reported.
A number of the vehicles had been abandoned even before police got there, according to Hirst.
"Ideally, if you're in an accident, we don't want that to happen because we want to know that you're OK and that information has been exchanged," she said.
Hirst said Mounties were also busy attending crashes Thursday.
With cold temperatures expected to last through Saturday, Hirst urged local drivers to take care.
"I think it's important that people just give themselves time to get to their destination," she said.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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