A Kent man and three other people, each in their 20s, were killed in a rollover crash involving a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle near the town of Liberty, about 22 miles north of Ellensburg.
The owner and driver of the ATV was Conner Jenkins, 24, of Orting, according to a Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office press release. Also in the vehicle were a friend of Jenkins, Benjamin Gomez Santana, 23, of Covington, and a couple the two met that day, Devon Anonson, 26, of Kent and Halle Cole, 24, of Maple Valley.
At about 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 report that a Polaris Razor side-by-side ATV rolled and burst into flames while driving on a dirt road in the Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest near Liberty Road, according to the press release.
Local fire and medic units arrived within minutes to start treating survivors and prevent the gas-fueled fire from spreading. No other vehicles were involved.
Gomez Santana and Cole died at the scene of the crash. Helicopters transported Jenkins and Anonson to Harborview Medical Center’s burn center in critical condition in Seattle, but neither man survived the night.
The open field where the crash occurred is a popular recreational spot for campers and ATVs, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The cause of the crash and fire are under investigation.
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