HOUSTON, TX : 21-year-old woman killed after car crash causes fireworks to spark in trunk overnight on Tuesday, 3rd October 2023

A 21-year-old woman was killed overnight after her car crashed into a tree and caught on fire when fireworks that were in her trunk went off, Houston police said.

Officers responded to the crash on South Gessner Road around 10:30 p.m.

According to reports, the woman was a passenger inside a red Camaro. Officers said the driver of the Camaro was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle, hitting a curb. The vehicle then spun and struck a tree in the median, splitting the vehicle in two pieces before it burst into flames.

Officers said they attempted to extinguish the fire and pull the woman out, but fireworks that were located in the truck started going off, creating a “catastrophic scene.”

KPRC 2 viewer William Young said he witnessed the entire incident while pumping gas nearby.

“I started hearing explosions. I thought, is that shotgun shots? Or is it firecrackers going off? It sounded like Roman Candles,” Young said. “It was just like a BOOM, explosion. Like a deep explosion.”

Officers told KRPC 2 reporter T.J. Parker that they had to get away from the vehicle for their own safety.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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