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2 people dead after vehicle caught fire on eastbound I-695 in DC

Traffic is at a standstill while police investigate a double fatal crash on the DC Highway.

WASHINGTON — Two people are dead in D.C. after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 695 resulted in a fire, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The crash happened on the eastbound lanes of I-695, near Exit 1C, in the area of 11th Street Southeast, police said. Traffic was at a standstill for several hours Tuesday evening as Metropolitan Police Department's major crash unit investigated the crash.

Police learned that just before 7 p.m. a 2011 BMW was speeding eastbound on I-695 when the driver lost control of the car and collided with a parked Columbia Department of Public Works (DPW) dump truck at Exit 1C. 

The BMW drove towards multiple traffic lanes and also struck a 2004 Toyota MR2, police said. The car then struck a jersey barrier and caught on fire. The fire has since been extinguished by firefighters. 

D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services were called to the scene. After all life-saving efforts, police said the two people in the BMW died at the scene of the crash.

Police said another person involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. According to D.C. Fire and EMS, another individual involved in the crash refused to be taken to the hospital. It is unclear if there are any other people involved in the crash, besides the four mentioned by police.

MPD told WUSA9 the DPW truck involved in the crash was intentionally parked at Exit 1C to block the "Freedom Convoy" — a group of truckers who are protesting mandates in D.C. this week — from entering the city. 

RELATED: 'The hypocrisy is layered' | Trucker convoy divides locals in DC area

All eastbound lanes on I-695 were closed following the crash and gave since reopened.

WUSA9 reached out to DPW but did not receive a response by the time this story was published.

The identities of the victims have not been released, police said.

Detectives are asking anyone who has information on this incident to call the police at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411.

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