One person has died and another was injured in a head-on collision south of Valemount on Highway 5 Thursday, July 18, confirm RCMP.

Sgt. Bob Dean of the Valemount RCMP detachment said the two vehicles collided just south of the Allen Creek snowmobile parking lot Thursday morning. 

The northbound vehicle caught fire and claimed the life of the driver. The occupant of the southbound vehicle, a pilot truck, was trapped in his truck for about 20 minutes before he could be removed. Dean said that person was transferred to Valemount for medical attention, and then to hospital in Prince George due to lower body injuries.

The collision occurred before 7 a.m. closing Highway 5 to all traffic. The highway remains closed as members of the RCMP's Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) investigate the scene, but expected to reopen between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Dean said lack of cell service in the remote area slowed the response time for help.

"It was some time before we could get there," he said.