The Alberta driver of a semi-truck that rolled and caught fire last Thursday morning south of Whitehorse died at the scene, the RCMP said in a statement released late Friday afternoon.

Officers, with the assistance of the Yukon RCMP Traffic Services Unit and the Yukon Coroners Service, continue to investigate the fatal mishap.

Some passing motorists had mistakenly thought they had seen the truck driver walking near the scene shortly after the vehicle rolled.

The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 8:56 a.m. at kilometre 1386 of the Alaska Highway, near the Mclintock River bridge.

The semi-truck had been travelling north when it left the roadway and caught fire in the ditch, police said.

It’s not clear why the heavy vehicle veered off the highway.

To enable the fire to be safely and efficiently extinguished, the highway was closed in both directions for five hours and subsequently opened to single-lane traffic.

Electricity was shut off, affecting numerous people in the region.

The 39-year-old driver was pronounced deceased. His name was not released.

The truck passenger, a 59-year-old man also from Alberta, suffered undisclosed injuries, police said.

A police traffic services collision reconstructionist went to the scene. The investigation is ongoing, in partnership with the Yukon Government National Safety Code and Carrier Compliance.

The Yukon Coroners Service is also continuing its invesigation.

“Our thoughts are with the people involved and their families at this time,” the statement said.

Sixteen agencies responded to the call.

They included paramedics from Yukon Emergency Medical Services, fire departments from Whitehorse, the Whitehorse airport, Marsh Lake, Golden Horn, and Mount Lorne, Yukon Carrier Compliance, the Departmentof Highways and Public Works and ATCO Electric Yukon.