CLIFTON, Maine — Two people died in a head-on crash on Route 180 in Clifton Wednesday morning.
As of approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Route 180, also referred to as Rebel Hill Road, had reopened after closing for multiple hours due to the crash.
Penobscot Regional Communications Center posted on social media just before 11 a.m. stating the road would be closed for an "extended period of time" and told drivers to seek alternate routes.
Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton told NEWS CENTER Maine the crash was called in by a driver who came upon it shortly before 10 a.m.
Morton said a vehicle crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on. The first vehicle then flipped several times and burst into flames in the roadway. He said the vehicle that was struck then veered into the woods.
Both drivers died at the scene.
Morton said the road would remain closed until the crash scene can be processed and the debris is cleared.
Identities of the drivers are not being released until next of kin is notified, according to officials.
The sheriff added that speeding on this particular stretch of Route 180 in Clifton has been a problem lately and his department has been out there trying to enforce the speed limit.
In addition to the sheriff's office, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Transportation, Holden Fire Department, and Eddington Fire Department responded to the scene.
This story will be updated as NEWS CENTER Maine learns more.