Three people were killed Wednesday night in Severn when a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle collided head-on and the SUV burst into flames, Anne Arundel County police said.

The drivers killed were identified as Jessica Lynn Ray, 26, of Severn, and Preston Alonzo Matthews, 57, of Hanover. Police had not identified the passenger in Matthews' vehicle, who also died in the collision.

The crash occurred about 10:30 p.m. near Donaldson Avenue and Walnut Grove Road. Preliminary investigation indicates that Ray's 1998 Ford F-150, which was westbound on Donaldson Avenue, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with Matthews' 1997 Ford Expedition, according to police.

The Expedition was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived, police said. Matthews and the passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. Ray was pronounced head at Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

Justin Mulcahy, a police spokesman, said speed did not appear to be a factor.

"Preliminarily, this appears to be driver error," he said, "and we are not determining any other contributing factors until we hear back from the medical examiner."