2 dead in string of collisions along Cordova Street near downtown Anchorage

The driver of a pickup truck involved in three collisions early Sunday near downtown Anchorage that left two people dead is being accused of driving under influence and manslaughter, police said.

Officers were first called just before 2 a.m. to 15th Avenue and Cordova Street, where a vehicle struck by a Toyota pickup was pushed into a tree and caught fire, police said. The driver and passenger in the burning vehicle were declared dead at the scene.

A preliminary investigation then indicated the Toyota pickup had earlier been involved in a hit-and-run collision at Sixth Avenue and Cordova, police said. The man driving the other vehicle, a small sedan, was not hurt.

The driver of the pickup, 23-year-old Matthew Davis, continued south on Cordova to 15th Avenue, where the pickup struck a vehicle and pushed it into a tree, causing it to catch fire, police said. The pickup continued across the intersection and struck a third vehicle, a Dodge pickup, stopped at the light. The woman driving the Dodge was not hurt, police said.

Davis was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said. After a visual evaluation, police said, Davis was determined under the influence of a controlled substance. He was remanded to the Anchorage Jail for DUI and manslaughter, police said.

The names of the deceased victims will be released 24 hours after notification of relatives, said police spokesperson Cherie Zajdzinski.

The intersection was closed for several hours.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.