A vehicle crash and fire on southbound Interstate 5 just north of State Route 198 near Coalinga left one person dead early in the morning.
According to California Highway Patrol dispatch logs, the incident was first reported at 2:22 a.m. as a vehicle on fire in the center divider, with reports of possible involvement in a traffic collision and two occupants out of the vehicle and walking around. The vehicle, which appeared to have front- and rear-end damage, was described as overturned in the center divider. Fire officials were notified, and the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. The incident was updated to a fatality at 6:01 a.m., with logs noting a solo vehicle fatality.
CHP units were assigned at 2:23 a.m., arrived on scene starting at 2:37 a.m. and were cleared by 6:01 a.m. A coroner arrived on scene, and a tow truck was requested for the completely burned vehicle, identified as a blue 2004 GMC Yukon with only the front license plate remaining and no longer attached.
The identities of those involved and the cause of the crash were not immediately available.
The CHP recorded the crash at GPS coordinates: 36.257907 -120.246414
Sources:
– CHP CAD incident viewer: https://cad.chp.ca.gov/
