KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from a controlled burn along Interstate 15 in northern Montana obscured the vision of drivers, leading to a chain reaction crash that killed two people and injured four others, the Montana Highway Patrol said.
The crash happened at about 1:15 p.m. near Conrad when the driver of a semitrailer slowed down to 25 mph (40 kph) when smoke obstructed his vision, the patrol said.
The truck was rear-ended by another semitrailer, which in turn was rear-ended by a car carrying the victims.
A small sport utility vehicle hit the back of the victims’ car.
The crash killed a 20-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl from Columbia Falls, the Daily Inter Lake reports. Their names have not been released. It was not clear who was driving, the patrol said.
A 51-year-old man from Canada who was driving the second truck was injured along with three Colorado residents in the SUV.
