Fiery head-on crash kills 1, closes I-74

CHAMPAIGN -- A stretch of Interstate 74 in Champaign has reopened after a head-on collision that killed one person and injured several more.

Authorities say a car driven by a 53-year-old woman was heading west in the freeway's eastbound lanes when it struck other vehicles and caught on fire.

Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup says 24-year-old Brittany Babb was pronounced dead at the scene. Babb was a passenger in one of the vehicles that was struck.

Babb's fiance is in serious condition at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

The 53-year-old woman was arrested on preliminary charges of aggravated driving under the influence.

The crash closed eastbound traffic on I-74 for more than five hours. It reopened Friday night.