Anchorage

Driver killed in fiery Anchorage one-vehicle crash

Update, 5 a.m. Thursday: Police identified the driver who died in Saturday night’s fiery car crash as David Hummel Jr., 32. Next of kin have been notified, APD said in an alert.

Original story:

One person was killed when an SUV traveling on an Anchorage expressway hit a light pole and caught fire Saturday night, the Anchorage Police Department said in a statement.

Police first sent out an alert at 11:30 p.m. Saturday saying officers were responding to an accident with injuries at Minnesota Drive, near the 100th Avenue exit.

A driver alone in a white SUV was southbound on Minnesota Drive when the vehicle hit a light pole and “burst into flames," according to a statement from police.

“Several people attempted to save the driver’s life,” said APD spokesman MJ Thim. “They couldn’t because the vehicle was engulfed in flames.”

Medics arrived and the driver was declared dead at the scene. The name of the victim has not been released.

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“The intensity of the fire is making it difficult to identify driver and vehicle,” Thim said.

Police said Sunday that the cause of the crash is being investigated.

Michelle Theriault Boots

Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

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