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Inclement weather leads to crashes

Weather conditions which caused snow-covered roads led to several crashes Sunday in Schuylkill County, according to state police at Frackville. All the crashes involved one vehicle.

A crash was reported at 5:55 a.m. along Interstate 81 in Frailey Township. Troopers said Anthony Kreiser, 20, of Bethel, Berks County, was driving a 2001 Mazda 3 southbound in the right lane when he lost control due to snow on the road. The car traveled onto the west berm, where it struck several small trees.Kreiser was not injured with damages termed severe to the vehicle.Kreiser was cited for the crash.Troopers investigated another one-vehicle crash at 1:30 p.m. along I-81 in Frailey Township. Troopers said Lori A. Byrer, 47, of Lake Wylie, South Carolina, was driving a 2008 Hyundai Elantra southbound and lost control on the snow-covered road. The car struck the guard rail along the east berm, then traveled across both southbound lanes and came to rest in a ditch along the west berm.Neither Byrer nor three passengers, Christie J. Winburn, 24, of Lake Wylie, and two juvenile females, ages 3 and 5, were injured.Byrer was cited for the crash.A third one-vehicle crash was reported at 2:45 p.m. along I-81 in Frailey Township. Johnathon F. Steckley, 30, of Mount Carmel, was driving a 1997 Ford F150 pickup northbound when he lost control due to road conditions. The truck struck the guard rail along the east berm, coming to rest in the left lane facing south. Steckley was not injured.He was cited for the crash.A one-vehicle crash was reported at 8:40 a.m. along Route 209 in Blythe Township. Troopers said Rachel M. Wenner, 19, of Middleport, was driving a 2009 Hyundai Elantra westbound, just outside Middleport, when she lost control. The vehicle struck the guide rail along the left shoulder two separate times and came to final rest in the eastbound lane.Wenner sustained minor injuries and was taken to the Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street in Pottsville.Wenner was cited for the crash.An incident involving a fire to a vehicle was reported at 12:08 p.m. along Route 209 in East Norwegian Township. Gregory M. Kurilla, 52, of Kaska, was driving a 2012 Ford F550 truck with a plow while traveling eastbound when the engine compartment caught fire.Kurilla was able to escape the vehicle without injury, but the engine became engulfed in fire and had to be extinguished by volunteers from the Good Intent Fire Company of New Philadelphia.