A fiery crash on Florida highway kills seven people and leaves others injured

A deadly and fiery crash in northern Florida caused the death of at least seven people. The crash also left several others injured.

At least seven people were killed and several injured on Thursday afternoon. A fiery crash in northern Florida saw two tractor-trailers, a van, and a car collide according to authorities.

The crash took place around 3:40 pm on the I-75 near Gainesville, Florida. The Florida Highway Patrol reported that about 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled and appeared to increase the flames that were caused by the crash.

According to a statement from the Alachua County Fire Rescue, several people were badly injured. Some of them were left in a critical condition.

The statement also revealed that the fire had been extinguished by Thursday evening. It was later confirmed that at least seven people had been killed in the crash.

The highway patrol closed both lanes of the interstate saying the decision was “due to a large amount of personal property, vehicle parts and burned vehicles still on the roadway.”

They also revealed that they are treating the crash as a homicide investigation. The highway patrol also stated that they are doing a thorough investigation to identify the deceased victims.

"When we first pulled up there was just a bit of smoke and people were pulling over. We didn't witness the actual accident and didn't realize exactly what happened. As we sat there trying to assess the situation, we heard some explosions and there were more fire and smoke. People were running and cars started to turn around. We were feeling panicked because we were so close and were afraid of what could happen." said an eyewitness

A helicopter was also dispatched to sweep the area. The move was in case any victims had been thrown into the nearby woods and missed by the first responders.

Authorities have warned the road closures might be lengthy. The aftermath of the crash had resulted in both the North and Southbound roads to be closed to allow first responders to get to the scene quickly.

"There's going to be families that need to be notified that their loves ones have perished," said Lieutenant P.V. Riordan