A 43-year-old Baraga man, Allan Dantes, Jr., was killed late Thursday night, Oct. 13 by a semi-truck and trailer that crashed into the Holiday gas station in L’Anse causing a large-scale fire. The man was pumping gas into his vehicle when the truck came pummeling into the pumps and spreading fire into the building.
Dantes was taken to the Baraga County Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead.
The 22-year-old Illinois man driving the truck was arrested on the scene and taken to the
Baraga County Jail. He was charged with “operating while intoxicated causing death officially on Sunday night” according to the L’Anse Police Department.
Three people in the store came out alive including two employees and one patron. One employee was injured and taken to the BCMH. This employee was “saved by the safe in the gas station as the roof collapsed” according to an employee at Campioni’s Convenience store directly adjacent to the Holiday.
A passenger in the semi-truck and trailer was being trained by the intoxicated Illinois man and came out un-injured.
Dantes was on his way to compete in the Lake Superior Performance Rally race that happened on Saturday. He served on the Baraga Board of Education and was running for Baraga County Commission.
The gas station suffered substantial damage from the fire which also spread to surrounding vehicles in the lot.
A man from a neighboring house said they were asked to evacuate their house after the incident.
Michigan State Police Troopers closed down US Highway 41 while the fire departments put the fire out.
The fire marks the second large-scale fire in the area after the restaurant of Carla’s Restaurant, Motel, and Cozy Inn burned down on Friday, Oct. 7th.
