Person dies in fiery crash on rural road in Bartholomew County

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A person died in a single-vehicle crash Monday afternoon in a rural area south of the city of Columbus, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office says.

The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office will later release the name of the person who died, the sheriff’s office says in a news release.

Deputies were called about 4:15 p.m. Monday to a report of smoke in the 13000 block of County Road South 100 West. That’s about 6 miles south of Columbus near I-65.

The first responders found a vehicle engulfed in flames. The release did not say what type of vehicle was found, or the gender or age of the person who died.

Deputies were unable to see inside the vehicle or get close enough to enter it, but used three fire extinguishers to put out the blaze before firefighters arrived at the scene.

Investigators believe the vehicle had ignited after crashing into a tree. They were continuing work Monday night to determine what happened.

The crash scene is about a 55-minute drive south of downtown Indianapolis.