One Man Dead, One Man Injured, One Man in Jail Following Gas Station Fire in L’Anse
Updated information from our friends at Keweenawreport.com
Updated 1:00 PM Friday: The man killed in the Thursday night crash and fire at the Holiday gas station in L’Anse has been identified as 43-year-old Allan Dantes, Jr.
The announcement was made Friday morning by the American Rally Association. Dantes was a rally competitor, and was scheduled to take part in the Lake Superior Performance Rally this weekend.
He was also a member of the L’Anse Area Schools Board of Education, and was running for Baraga County Commission in District Five.
Updated 10:30 AM Friday: One person was killed, and one other hospitalized as a semi truck crashed into the Holiday Gas Station in L’Anse late Thursday night.
State police officials say the truck veered into the pumps around 11:00. A 43-year-old Baraga man, who was pumping gas at the time, was taken to Baraga County Memorial Hospital, where he died. A station employee was taken to BCMH for treatment of injuries. Their condition is not known. A customer in the store and a trainee riding as a passenger in the truck were not hurt.
The resulting fire heavily damaged the facility and a number of surrounding vehicles.
The semi driver, a 22-year-old man from Illinois, is being held at the Baraga County jail on a charge of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death. The investigation continues, with assistance from MSP Accident Investigators and the MSP Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division.
US-41 was closed while firefighters battled the blaze.
The Baraga County Sheriff’s Department, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police, the Baraga Village Police Department and the L’Anse Police Department assisted at the scene. Firefighters from L’Anse, Baraga, Houghton, Arvon Township, Aura and Pelkie fought the fire, and Bay Ambulance provided EMS services.
It was the second serious fire in Baraga County in a little over a week. Carla’s Restaurant north of the village of Baraga was destroyed early last Friday morning.
Photos below are provided by William Cornillie, from early on at the incident.
