MARYSVILLE – A fiery collision on Interstate 5 killed one person, seriously injured a charter bus driver and snarled Tuesday evening rush-hour traffic for nearly five hours.

Closure of the northbound lanes caused a seven-mile-long traffic backup north of Seattle, Trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

A southbound SUV crossed the median, including two sets of cable barriers, collided with a northbound Canadian charter bus at 3:13 p.m. just north of Marysville and exploded into flames.

The driver of the SUV, identified as 64-year-old Clifford Warren of Everett, was killed instantly.

Rudeen said the fire was so fierce authorities could not immediately determine if the victim was a man or a woman.

KING

One person was killed when a Jeep headed southbound crossed into the northbound lanes.

The Vancouver, British Columbia-based Malaspina Coach Lines bus was empty except for the driver, 48-year-old Sigrid Wosnack from Surrey, B.C., who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries.

She was later reported in satirfactory condition.

The accident caused a traffic nightmare.

The three northbound lanes were closed for hours, with the last one reopening just before 8 p.m. One of three southbound lanes was also closed, Rudeen said.

Several traffic detours were set up, said Travis Phelps, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.