The young Oliver woman who died Wednesday in a fiery collision with a utility pole on Highway 97 has been identified as 19-year-old Marissa Mae Louie.
Police and firefighters attended the scene south of Oliver just after 6 pm when a Ford pickup truck collided with a power pole. The vehicle was fully engulfed in flames upon impact.
Louie was pulled from the vehicle and rushed to South Okanagan General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Oliver Fire Department spokesman Rob Graham could only say that firefighters extinguished the burning vehicle.
Complicating the tragedy was the fact that power lines posed a hazard at the scene.
Power was disrupted to homes in the area but FortisBC restored it once the police completed their investigation.
The RCMP reported that the highway was bare and dry at the time of the incident.
Alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor, according to police.
