2 killed in fiery crash on 405 Freeway in Palms; all lanes reopened

PALMS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man and a woman were killed in a fiery, two-vehicle crash on the 405 Freeway in Palms, prompting the hourslong closure of lanes that were later reopened.

Officers from the California Highway Patrol responded at 2:13 a.m. to the northbound freeway and National Boulevard where they learned a Toyota Prius and a commercial truck collided, causing the Prius to burst into flames, CHP Officer Erik Larsen said.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel were called and pronounced the man and the woman dead at the scene, Larsen said. They were not immediately identified.

The CHP issued a SigAlert that closed all lanes of the freeway while they crews worked to clear the scene, snarling traffic as the morning commute got underway.

The southbound side of the freeway was quickly reopened, and traffic was moving in all northbound lanes shortly after 6:30 a.m.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.