Fiery crash kills three on West Colonial Drive

Two adults and a child were killed in a fiery crash Tuesday morning that shut down parts of West Colonial Drive for several hours, Orlando police said.

An Orange County deputy was responding to an unrelated incident about 9:30 a.m. when he heard a crash at Colonial Drive and Pete Parrish Boulevard, police Sgt. Eduardo Bernal said.

The car slammed into a tree and caught fire. Firefighters and deputies tried to help the passengers but were overwhelmed by the heat, he said.

Hours after the accident, debris from the car was still lying on the street. Part of the vehicle’s frame was wrapped around the tree, which had burn marks on its trunk from the fire.

“It’s a horrific crash, unfortunately,” Bernal said. “We don’t know if it’s the same family, if they’re all together, so some families are unfortunately going to be missing some members of their family this Christmas.”

The crash investigation shut down the westbound lanes of Colonial Drive from Fairvilla Road past Montgomery Street for several hours.

Bernal said traffic homicide detectives will lead the investigation, and authorities are hoping to piece together details from street cameras and possible witnesses.

He added that it’s not clear if any other vehicles were involved, and investigators are working to determine if speed was a factor in the crash.

The victims weren’t immediately identified.