One Dead In Single-Car Crash Near Orondo

One person is dead following a single-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 97 Thursday morning.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeremy Weber says the crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. just north of Orondo.

"The vehicle that was involved was traveling southbound when it left the roadway and struck a tree. It then became fully engulfed in fire."

Weber says the crash did impact traffic on the highway for several hours.

"Initially the roadway was closed but once the Department of Transportation got there they were able to open it to alternating traffic in one of the lanes. So it caused a little bit of a delay but the time of the collision was so early it could have been worse as far as traffic was concerned. But we were able to get traffic moving through there after the accident."

Weber says it's unknown what caused the wreck and an investigation is underway.

The Douglas County Coroner's Office is currently working to identify the deceased driver.