Driver dies when van burns after running into tractor-trailer parked off Interstate 15

The driver of a van was killed Saturday morning after driving the vehicle into the back of a tractor-trailer parked beside Interstate 15.

Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Kevin Honea said the driver of the van, whose name and gender was unavailable, was traveling north on the highway just past mile marker 79, near the turnoff to Valley of Fire State Park.

At 7:42 a.m., the van veered off the roadway and into the back of a big rig parked at a paved turnoff, Honea said.

The van burst into flames and the trailer, which was full of bananas, caught fire. The accident woke the driver of the rig, who had been sleeping in the cab. He got up and managed to detach the cab from the trailer and drive it away from the flames, Honea said.

The van's driver died at the scene.

The cause of the accident was unknown. Honea said witnesses did not see a blown tire or anything that would have caused the van to suddenly veer off the roadway.

"We're investigating all possibilities as to the cause at this time," Honea said.