GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- A car driving the wrong way on Interstate 70 near Grand Junction hit a tractor-trailer, starting a brush fire and claiming the life of the car's driver.

The Denver Post said authorities were unable to identify the driver of the car involved in the accident, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m.

The driver of the truck, Douglas Powell of Childress, Texas, was not hurt.

The flames engulfed the car and its driver, said Scott Simons, a spokesperson for the Colorado State Patrol. Several acres of brush north of the interstate were burned as well.

CSP officers closed the interstate for several miles in both directions for several hours while fire crews from several nearby districts fought the blaze, Simons said.

It is unclear whether the driver of the car was intoxicated.