A 43-year-old Baraga man, Allan Dantes, Jr., was  killed late Thursday night, Oct. 13 by a semi-truck and  trailer that crashed into the Holiday gas station  in L’Anse causing a large-scale fire. The man was  pumping gas into his vehicle when the truck  came pummeling into the pumps and spreading  fire into the building.  

Dantes was taken to the Baraga County  Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead.  

The 22-year-old Illinois man driving the truck  was arrested on the scene and taken to the  

Baraga County Jail. He was charged with  “operating while intoxicated causing death  officially on Sunday night” according to the  L’Anse Police Department.  

Three people in the store came out alive  including two employees and one patron. One  employee was injured and taken to the BCMH.  This employee was “saved by the safe in the gas  station as the roof collapsed” according to an  employee at Campioni’s Convenience store  directly adjacent to the Holiday.  

A passenger in the semi-truck and trailer was  being trained by the intoxicated Illinois man and  came out un-injured.  

Dantes was on his way to compete in the Lake  Superior Performance Rally race that happened  on Saturday. He served on the Baraga Board of  Education and was running for Baraga County  Commission. 

The gas station suffered substantial damage  from the fire which also spread to surrounding  vehicles in the lot.  

A man from a neighboring house said they were  asked to evacuate their house after the  incident.  

Michigan State Police Troopers closed down US  Highway 41 while the fire departments put the  fire out.  

The fire marks the second large-scale fire in the area after the restaurant of Carla’s Restaurant, Motel, and Cozy Inn burned down on Friday, Oct. 7th.