A minivan and a sport utility vehicle crashed at about 7:45 p.m. The SUV burst into flames that shot 30 feet into the air, keeping police and witnesses at a distance until firefighters could put out the blaze.
Firefighters pulled the 10-year-old girl from the minivan but she later died at a hospital. The three other victims were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The victims' names were not released because some of their families had not been notified, authorities said.
Police believe the minivan struck the SUV head-on, but an investigation is continuing. Witnesses said the minivan was speeding, police said.
''Usually we don't have this rate of speed in city accidents, but that doesn't appear to be the case in this one,'' said Detective Captain John Flemming Jr. ''If there is still anyone we haven't identified as a witness, they should come forward and let us know what they saw.''
Kosta Kambouroglas, who owned a restaurant near the crash site for 20 years, said the intersection where the crash occurred was a common site for accidents.
''I used to hear the tires screeching from inside my restaurant,'' Kambouroglas said. ''Most of the time they were fender benders ... this is the worst I've ever seen.''
Information from: Intelligencer Journal
