A vehicle crashed and caught fire on southbound Interstate 5 just north of State Route 198 near Coalinga early Tuesday morning, leaving one person dead.
California Highway Patrol dispatch logs reported the incident at 2:21 a.m. Logs initially described a vehicle on fire in the center divider, possibly involved in a traffic collision, with the vehicle appearing to have front- and rear-end damage. A reporting party advised that two occupants were out of the vehicle and walking around. The problem was later changed from a car fire to a fatality, with logs noting a solo vehicle fatality. A coroner arrived on scene, and a tow truck was requested for the completely burned vehicle.
Logs indicated the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames south of State Route 145. Fire personnel arrived on scene. CHP units were assigned at 2:23 a.m., with some arriving by 2:37 a.m. and the scene cleared by 6:01 a.m.
The vehicle was described as a 2004 blue GMC Yukon with only the front license plate remaining, no longer attached to the vehicle.
Identities 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/
