Three Killed In Fiery Crash Near Heber City

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HEBER CITY, Utah — Three people were killed in a fiery crash that started a subsequent field fire in Wasatch County, Utah Highway Patrol troopers said.  

Lt. Nick Street with UHP said a Jeep and a red truck were traveling eastbound on U.S. Highway 189 near the Heber Valley Airport Monday afternoon when witnesses stated that the Jeep slowed down “significantly.”  

“The red truck behind the Jeep wasn’t able to slow down as quickly and rear-ended the Jeep, causing the Jeep — from what witnesses have told us — to start on fire pretty quickly after that collision,” Street said. “It then moved across the continuous left turn lane here into oncoming traffic.”  

Street said the Jeep clipped a white Ford Escape before being t-boned by a Chevrolet Trailblazer.  

The fire from the Jeep spread to the Trailblazer, Street said, and the driver of the Jeep and the two occupants of the Trailblazer all were killed in the fiery collision.  

“One like this is exactly why we do our jobs to try to avoid it,” Street said. “We try to educate the public as Utah Highway Patrol as to the dangers of following distance and the dangers of slowing down in active travel lanes, and unfortunately today, the culmination of those two things caused three people to lose their lives.”  

Street said the fire involving the two cars spread to a nearby field, charring a stretch of the land close to the highway.  

Troopers said they weren’t able to immediately identify the deceased and were looking into VIN numbers and other records to do so.  

U.S. 189 reopened shortly after 10 p.m.