(CHICAGO) A person was found dead inside a minivan that was trapped under a semi which caught fire after a crash Monday morning on the Stevenson Expressway on the Southwest Side.
The five-vehicle crash occurred about 10:50 a.m., according to Illinois State Police.
A semi-truck carrying 40,000 pounds of frozen meat struck a passenger vehicle in front of it in the southbound lanes near Cicero, police said. The passenger vehicle then hit another vehicle, thought to be a green minivan.
The green minivan was forced underneath another semi-truck, which was carrying 17,800 pounds of flammable paint, police said. The minivan hit another vehicle, but only the first four caught fire.
After the fire was extinguished, a person was found dead in a minivan under one of the semis, according to state police and Fire Media Affairs.
“Rescue was impossible,” Fire Media said.
The fire was so severe that police are asking the public’s help in identifying the deceased person.
“Due to the crash and fire, the mini-van and body are unidentifiable,” police said.
Two other vehicles were destroyed in the fire, police said. Another person was taken to a hospital in fair-to-serious condition, according to Fire Media.
The fire has been extinguished and CFD mitigated the HAZMAT situation, ISP said. The surrounding area does not need to be evacuated.
The Illinois State Police Traffic Reconstruction Unit is responding to the scene.
Two northbound lanes reopened as of 2:05 p.m., but the far left northbound lane remains closed, police said.
The southbound lanes are expected to remain closed until 10:30 p.m., police said.
