A vehicle overturned and caught fire on Interstate 5 southbound just north of State Route 198 near Coalinga early in the morning, leaving one person dead.
According to California Highway Patrol dispatch logs, the incident was reported at 2:21 a.m. when callers described a vehicle on fire in the center divider with possible collision involvement. Logs show the problem was initially classified as a car fire before being updated to a fatality at 6:01 a.m., with officers reporting a single-vehicle fatality. A coroner arrived on scene, and a tow truck was requested for the completely burned vehicle.
Logs indicate the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames by 2:37 a.m., with Cal Fire notified and responding. Initial reports mentioned two occupants out of the vehicle and walking around, but the incident was later confirmed as a single-vehicle fatality.
The vehicle was described as a blue 2004 GMC Yukon with only the front license plate remaining, which was no longer attached. Officers requested a tow truck under Vehicle Code section 22651(g) for a disabled vehicle.
CHP units were assigned at 2:23 a.m., arrived on scene between 2:37 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., and cleared the scene between 5:08 a.m. and 6:01 a.m.
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/
