A Danbury teen, who was a senior at Immaculate High School, died late on the night of Friday, January 17, as a result of injuries suffered in a one-car motor vehicle accident on Interstate 84 in Newtown, officials said.

The ensuing state police investigation into the crash closed I-84’s westbound lanes to traffic for more than five hours. Traffic was detoured to nearby roadways.

State police said motorist Liam Devine, 17, was driving a 2016 Mazda 6 sedan westward on I-84 in the left lane of two travel lanes, about eight-tenths of a mile west of the Exit 9 entrance ramp, when for an unknown reason, at about 10:24 pm, the Mazda drove to the right, crossed over the right road shoulder and then drove upward on a grassy embankment until colliding with a large tree on that slope. The auto then caught fire.

A state police news summary on the accident states that the vehicle “became fully engulfed in flames. [The driver] was located deceased inside the vehicle.”

A spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said that the results of an autopsy indicated that the accidental death was caused by thermal injuries.

Newtown Fire Marshal Rich Frampton responded to the accident scene. Mr Frampton said state fire investigators determined that the fire was caused by the impact of the sedan striking the tree.

Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company also responded to the scene. Hawleyville Chief John Basso told The Newtown Bee that 12 Hawleyville firefighters went to the incident. Firefighters were alerted at 10:27 pm that a “car fire” had occurred on I-84. The incident initially was reported to firefighters not as a “motor vehicle accident,” but as a “car fire,” the chief noted. Thus, firefighters drove a fire engine and a fire tanker to the scene.

When it later became apparent that a motor vehicle accident had occurred, Hawleyville firefighters also drove their rescue truck to the scene, he said. Rescue trucks typically respond to auto accidents. Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps also responded to the incident.

Chief Basso said the impact of the sedan hitting the tree caused the auto to split in half. Firefighters asked state police if there was anyone inside the burning vehicle, with state police responding that they did not know if there were any occupants in the vehicle, Chief Basso said.

Vegetation within about a 35-foot radius of the auto also was on fire, the chief said.

“The whole hill was on fire,” he said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes, he said. Firefighters used 1,200 gallons of water.

“We worked to put out [the fire] as fast as possible,” he said.

After the fire was out, emergency service workers learned that the deceased driver was inside the auto. Firefighters removed the deceased from the vehicle, after which the remains were transported for an autopsy.

State police ask anyone who witnessed the accident to contact Troop A in Southbury at 203-267-2240. The incident remains under investigation.