A fiery crash on the outskirts of Ashburton has killed three people and created a front page lead for the local newspaper.

The Mitsubishi Tredia crashed into a tree on the outskirts of the small Mid Canterbury town at 8.30am.

Ashburton Tribune editor Daniel Jones said the crash, which killed two children and their mother, “could not have been better timed.”

“We were really up against it today, we had nothing for the front at all,” he said.

Mr Jones said that until the fatal car accident, the best options for a lead story were a coma inducing story on a projected rates rise, or a local resident complaining about potholes outside her house.

“Hopefully we can string this out for a couple of days,”  he said.