GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) -- A fiery two-vehicle crash on U.S. 395 south of Gardnerville killed three people and sparked a brush fire, authorities said.
The Nevada Highway Patrol said the accident at about 6 p.m. Sunday involved a truck rig and another vehicle five miles south of Gardnerville. It shut down a section of the highway until midnight.
NHP Sgt. Ron Larson said a GMC vehicle was in a no-passing lane when it collided with the truck.
Names of the victims were not immediately released.
The wildfire scorched about five acres and threatened several homes at one time, said Helen Frazier of the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden.
''They were able to stop the spread of the fire toward the homes and they're no longer threatened,'' Frazier said Sunday evening.
Two air tankers and a helicopter assisted firefighters on the ground in containing it.
More than 35 firefighters responded to the scene. The fire burned on both sides of the highway and to within a quarter mile of some homes, Frazier said.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
