DENVER -- A tractor-trailer driver was arrested after his rig slammed into the rear of a slow-moving vehicle, causing a chain reaction that killed two people near Limon, authorities said Saturday.

Richard E. Widmier, 62, of Burleson, Tex., was driving his 2003 Kenwood truck east on Interstate 70 during a blizzard at 55 mph, said Trooper Gilbert Mares of the Colorado State Patrol.

Widmier hit a Jeep driving through the snow at 15 mph at about 5:40 p.m., Mares said.

The Jeep spun sideways and collided with the rear of a maroon 1998 Ford F-150 pickup driven by a 28-year-old man from Greeley.

The Jeep caught fire, coming to a rest on the right side of the road. The tractor-trailer then hit the rear of the F-150, causing it to slide into the back of a tan 1996 Chevrolet Suburban.

Ginger M. Gillespie, 48, and Lois A. Kelton, 77, both from Grand Junction, were inside the Jeep and died at the scene, Mares said.

The driver of the F-150 was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the Suburban was not injured.

Widmier was arrested after the accident and faces charges of criminally negligent homicide, third-degree assault, failure to provide proof of insurance and reckless driving, Mares said.

He is being held in the Elbert County Detention Facility without bond.