New Year's Eve comes early as highway crash sparks huge fireworks show

A semi-trailer collided with a ute towing a “large quantity” of fireworks on Highway 1 in the Canadian province of British Columbia, resulting in a spectacular hour-long display.

CTV News reports the fireworks ignited as a result of the collision, which led to the highway being closed for several hours.

Drivers who were stranded on the highway weren’t too disappointed as some described it as the “best fireworks display” they’d ever seen.

According to the news outlet, police were called to the scene to assist paramedics around 10pm.

The ute was reportedly pulled over on the side of the highway, and the semi-trailer driver allegedly veered out of their line and collided with it before hitting a large boulder.

Local police say the ute “subsequently caught fire” and was later found completely burned.

CTV News reports both drivers managed to escape their vehicles however the driver of the ute was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

“I was hiding in the car, just holding my phone out the sun roof because I didn’t want to get hit by a stray rocket or anything. It was just so loud and so huge,” a witness told CTV News.

Police are investigating the incident.