ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) — Four people are dead after the all-terrain vehicle they were in rolled over and burst into flames on a dirt road in central Washington’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Kittitas County sheriff’s officials say 24-year-old Conner Jenkins of Orting crashed his side-by-side ATV west of the town of Liberty on Saturday afternoon. First responders arrived within minutes and prevented the gas-fueled fire from spreading.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Also in the vehicle were Jenkins’ friend, 23-year-old Benjamin Gomez Santana of Covington, and a couple they met that day; 26-year-old Devon Anonson of Kent and 24-year-old Halle Cole of Maple Valley.
Gomez Santana and Cole died at the scene. Jenkins and Anonson were flown by helicopter to a burn center in Seattle, where they both died.
The open field where the crash happened is a popular spot for campers and off-roaders. Investigators have not said what caused the ATV to roll.