2 killed, 1 injured as car crashes, then catches on fire in Ohio college town

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — Two people were killed and a third injured after two cars crashed and were subsequently engulfed in flames in northeast Ohio Saturday afternoon.

University Heights Police were dispatched near the intersection of Cedar Road and Brockway Road at around 4:30 p.m. on reports of a crash, a spokesperson for the department stated, according to 19 News.

When officers arrived, they blocked off Cedar Road to traffic in order to handle the crash site.

Neighbors witnessed in shock as the involved cars began to burn in a fully engulfing vehicle fire. The vehicle was reportedly “beyond recognition” after striking a telephone pole, 19 News said.

“It was like a bomb went off,” Robert Hairston Sr. said as he ran outside his home after hearing the impact. “There was a guy trying to crawl out through the back window of the muscle car. We helped him get out of the car and they pulled him from in front of the burning car that was in front of my house and pulled him to my neighbor’s yard.”

“I heard this big explosion, and I never heard anything like it before,” Nolan Hopkins, who also lived by, described. “I came outside and saw both cars were completely on fire.”

Hopkins explained that he saw one of the car’s motors on the grass, while the bumpers and glass left a trail of debris on the ground.

Witnesses told reporters that they saw police cruisers at the location immediately following the crash; however, it was unknown if a police chase led the crash.

The fully engulfing vehicle fire killed two people, while one person was able to survive with reported injuries. The survivor was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Their condition is currently unknown.

The University Heights Police Department led the investigation into the crash.

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