A slew of emergencies in a 15-minute span kept first responders busy Saturday afternoon in the St. John’s-metro area.
It began with a collision involving a motorcycle at the intersection of Motion Bay Road and Maddox Cove Road in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove just before 2 p.m.
That was followed minutes later by a two-vehicle crash in the area of Robert E. Howlett Memorial Drive and the Southern Shore Highway. Rescuers had to use the jaws of life to remove two people from one of the vehicles involved.
Five minutes after that, reports began coming in about a house fire in the same general area, at 140 Bay Bulls Road.
Firefighters arrived to find a two-storey house, set back from the road amongst trees, with fire and smoke coming from the second floor.
Then just three minutes later, reports of a serious motorcycle crash, this time along the Trans-Canada Highway near Soldiers Pond.
Update: The eastbound lanes of the TCH near Soldier's Pond is currently open to one lane of travel and is expected to remain this way for the next number of hours. Motorists are asked to slow down and proceed with caution. Updates to follow. https://t.co/p50uDWlYhr
— RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador (@RCMPNL) July 15, 2023
That temporarily forced RCMP to close eastbound lanes of the TCH in the area, diverting traffic through Holyrood along Salmonier Line and the Holyrood Access Road.
One eastbound lane was reopened by 4:30 p.m.
VOCM News is tracking each incident but so far there’s been no confirmation regarding the extent of injuries.
