A fiery crass claimed the life of a 70-year-old Portland woman, Ann Himmelman, after the vehicle she was driving collided head on into a tractor trailer Friday afternoon near Lombardy, bursting into flames.
Both the cab of the transport hauling propane and the car were totally engulfed by fire forcing road closures near Otter Lake Road and Highway 15 for several hours.Traffic was rerouted onto County Road 8.
Police were not worried about evacuating Lombard Manor, home to several senior residents, located just metres from the collision site.
“Because of fire, we were concerned about the propane but the integrity of the tanks was fine,” Sgt. Larry Fitzpatrick of the OPP told media on scene.
“There was no danger or concern of evacuation or anything like that.”
Highway 15 was closed while emergency services personnel attended to the scene. The road reopened at approximately 11:30 p.m. Friday evening.A small, white memorial cross has been placed at the scene.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.