She joined hands with others in prayer in her yard on the day after the crash.
KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, MI — People inside a house about 100 yards away from where a car struck a tree and erupted in flames, killing five people inside, heard a loud bang and saw the burning wreckage as police told them to get out of the house.
The crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, near the intersection of Sprinkle Road and East Main Street in Kalamazoo Township, after a police officer witnessed a Dodge Charger driving about 100 mph in the area, according to police.
Resident Jessica Meskil lives in the house that sits on the yard where the Charger crashed and burned Saturday. She said she and her husband woke when they heard the loud bang, followed by pops, before responding officers came to the door and told the family to evacuate.
She saw “a huge ball of fire” on the edge of the yard on East Main east of Sprinkle, Meskil said.
She panicked for a few seconds when she didn’t know where her own daughter was, but found her safe in the home soon after. The family hurried across the street and watched as police and emergency responders worked at the scene, she said.
“For 30 seconds, I had a nightmare, but these people have a nightmare for the rest of their lives, ” she said about people who knew those killed in the crash.
“We’re so sorry for them, ” she said.
Sunday morning, the day after the crash, she joined hands with others in prayer in her yard as a steady stream of people came to visit the crash site.
A large tree was down on the side of the road following the fatal crash, and a second tree was still standing but heavily burned. A radius of charred land extended several feet into the yard.
Stuffed animals, flowers, and messages were left on the downed tree above the burned foliage where the Charger crashed. Heart-shaped balloons tied to the tree moved with the wind.
Black tire tracks show a path heading off East Main Street, with a damaged utility pole between the road and the burned crash site.
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Some visitors to the site Sunday said they knew the victims and others said they did not.
One woman who declined to give her name said she believes one of the victims was her granddaughter, because no one has heard from her. Police told her they are waiting to examine dental records before confirming the identities. She said she is holding onto hope her family member was not killed in the crash.
Antwan Snell said he knew multiple people who were killed.
“They were great kids, ” Snell said. “They had a bright future.”
He held onto a deformed CD and some other small items he found in the wreckage. The people in the car were getting ready to start school for the year, he said, calling the crash tragic.
“A loss like this is going to be devastating for the city, ” he said.
More than 100 turn out for vigil after five teens killed in fiery crash
Kalamazoo County sheriff’s investigators have not released the names of the teens, but all are believed to be of high-school age.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is working to identify the people killed in the crash, and officials said it could take days or even weeks.
MLive has reached out to a person who said a family member died in the crash.
