Man dies after fiery Spokane Valley crash

A man died at a local hospital after crashing his car into a tree in Spokane Valley this morning. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office identified the man as 37-year-old Dustin Andrew Christensen. According to a release, he died from trauma in the crash. Emergency crews were called to the scene of a one-vehicle crash near East Mission Avenue and North Felts Road at 6 a.m., a release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s office said. Christensen was trapped in the vehicle and deputies used fire extinguishers to contain flames that erupted from the engine. Spokane Valley firefighters arrived on scene and extinguished the flames before extricating Christensen from the car. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died. The release said Christensen was eastbound on Mission when he swerved across the westbound lane of traffic and struck a large tree head-on. According to the sheriff’s office, alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash.