Police say three people — two adults and one child — were killed in a single-vehicle crash on Route 1 southbound in Brunswick Friday afternoon.
Police were called to the area about a 1 1/2 miles from the New Meadows Road exit at 4:17 p.m.
In a statement, police said a vehicle “crashed into a steep rock embankment and burst into flames with the occupants still inside.”
Police say numerous motorists stopped to try to extinguish the fire and were able to pull two small children — a boy and a girl —from the back seat.
Two adults in the front of the vehicle could not be freed because of the extensive damage.
“The large flames and tremendous heat were extremely intense, which hampered the valiant rescue efforts,” police stated.
The two adults were pronounced dead at the scene.
The girl pulled from the backseat was taken to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, but succumbed to her injuries.
The boy was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with injuries that weren’t believed to be life threatening.
Route 1 southbound remained closed to traffic as of 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Police say the vehicle’s occupants were members of the same family. Police did not release the names of the victims or provide further details as of Sunday night.
“Our hearts are broken,” Brunswick Town Councilor Dan Ankeles wrote in a statement Friday night. “The horror of a moment like this cuts our community deeply. Tonight we are thinking of the little boy who survived this, the family members left in grief, the good Samaritans who helped and our first responders who have been working throughout the evening … without question the people of Brunswick are prepared to help in any way we can.”
The make and model of the vehicle and the circumstances leading up to the crash were not known Friday.
The crash is under investigation.
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