PORTLAND, OR : 2 dead after semis crash on Highway 18 near milepost 57 on Wednesday, 9th January 2019

The Newberg-Dundee Bypass was shut down most of Monday after two semi-trucks crashed -- resulting in two fatalities, an explosion and at one point, 50-foot flames.

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue said the trucks crashed into each other on Highway 18 near milepost 57 early Monday morning, and then a car rammed into the back of one of the big rigs when she was unable to stop in time.

Andres Resendez, 52, and Daniel Green, 45, were both pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car, a 23-year-old woman from McMinnville, was rushed to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.All three vehicles went up in flames.

Since there were no fire hydrants nearby, firefighters shuttled water to the scene -- taking crews more than an hour to control the blaze.

While the flames didn't damage any nearby homes, the explosion did wake people up.

"It was quite an explosion," witness John Powell told KOIN 6 News. "I thought maybe it was thunder, but after the second explosion, I got out of bed to see flames starting to get quite large."

The bypass at milepost 57 was closed in both directions for several hours as authorities investigated and cleaned up spilled diesel fuel. It reopened around 4 p.m.

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