Alaska News

2 dead in Parks Hwy. head-on near Denali Park

Two people died Monday morning in a fiery head-on collision that closed a stretch of the Parks Highway in Denali National Park for hours, according to park information officer Kathleen Kelly.

Around 10:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported the crash near Mile 236. A pickup and SUV had collided on the two-lane road, Kelly said. Flames engulfed the vehicles. She described the wreck as "catastrophic."

A video posted on Facebook showed a pickup off the road with its front end in flames. The entire SUV was also on fire, lying on its side in the roadway.

Medics pronounced both drivers dead on-scene. There were not believed to be any passengers in the vehicles, Kelly said.

Because the crash occurred within park boundaries and on federal land, the National Park Service is leading the investigation into the crash with assistance from Alaska State Troopers, Kelly said.

By 5 p.m. Monday, the roadway was limited to one lane, with motorists passing through the crash zone behind a pilot car. Kelly expected both lanes to be opened Monday evening.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reported road conditions Monday near the park as "fair." Kelly said co-workers who drove the stretch of highway Monday morning described the road as "dry."

She said the cause of the crash was under investigation Monday.

Tegan Hanlon

Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. She now reports for Alaska Public Media.

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