Authorities say speed was a factor in a fiery crash Thursday afternoon on U.S. 2 near Columbia Falls that left two people dead.

According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Jerry Ren, a 27-year-old Kalispell man was driving a 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup when his vehicle crossed into the southbound lane in front of North Valley Ag and collided head-on with another pickup. Both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames when first-responders arrived on the scene near Sunny Lane at about 4:20 p.m.

The Kalispell man was later identified as James Moschetti. A woman driving the second pickup was identified as Linda M. Turner, 56, of Sumter, South Carolina. She was driving a 2018 Ford F-150 rental vehicle.

“What we know from witnesses is that the man had been driving erratically before the crash and he was driving as fast as 95 miles per hour,” Trooper Ren said. “He crossed over into the south lane and there was no braking.”

The speed limit is 65 mph on the stretch of highway.

“(Turner) was on her way to meet her family,” Ren said. “It’s just a terrible situation.”

The highway was shut down while first-responders were on the scene Thursday. Firefighters from Columbia Falls extinguished the vehicle fires, while firefighters from Columbia Falls and Evergreen conducted traffic control.