1 dead, 1 in serious condition after multi-car crash caused by thick smoke

One person died en route to the hospital after a multi-car collision involving a semitruck caused serious injuries on Interstate 90 Thursday afternoon.

Another driver was in serious condition Thursday evening, according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Brian Moore.

WSP received reports at 10:45 a.m. of a brush fire producing a fair amount of smoke in the highway median by milepost 125, leading officers to begin shutting down the eastbound road, Moore told The Spokesman-Review.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

During that process, several vehicles entered into the smoke, which caused them to crash, Moore said. The crash involved a truck with a trailer, another truck, a car, and also a semi, he said.

Both east and westbound lanes on I-90 were closed as of 11:30 a.m, but one lane in each direction had reopened by 2:20 p.m. Significant backups were reported as of 4:20 p.m.