DPS: 4 killed in fiery wrong-way crash west of Phoenix

CENTENNIAL, Ariz. (FOX 10) - Authorities say four people died in a fiery wrong-way crash along Interstate 10 west of Phoenix.

"This morning just after one o'clock, we received calls that a Nissan pickup was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of the I-10 near milepost 64," Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Kameron Lee said.

That wrong-way driver, according to DPS, was behind the wheel of the vehicle on the left and the passenger van was loaded onto the tow truck on the right.

All that was left of both vehicles was a mangled mess of burned metal after they caught on fire upon impact.

"There were three occupants inside the van and one inside the Nissan pickup that was traveling the wrong way," Lee said. "All four died at the scene."

Lee says the bodies are not identifiable and license plates and VIN numbers are all burned, so figuring out who was killed will be a difficult task.

There were no signs of skid marks and that likely means no one hit the brakes right before the crash.

"We were able to locate an alcoholic beverage container in a debris field and as we know with wrong-way drivers, alcohol continues to be the prevalent factor in them," Lee said. "We will look at everything."

The exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.