UPDATED: BELLA VISTA: Two dead after fiery, solo-vehicle wreck – vegetation fire halted at 30 acres

UPDATED: Sunday, July 8, 6 p.m. With details regarding road closure

UPDATED: Sunday, July 8, 5:30 p.m. With additional details from CHP

UPDATED: Sunday, July 8, 4:40 p.m. With additional details from Cal Fire

See original story below.

Firefighters battling a blaze that began after a vehicle crashed while traveling on Highway 299 near Woodman Ln., have reportedly gotten the fire under control after it burned about 30 acres this afternoon.

Two elderly victims died as a result of the fiery, solo-vehicle accident, according to a CHP update regarding the fatal collision.

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911 callers who reported the accident that led to the vegetation fire originally reported seeing “multiple people” trapped inside the burning vehicle, described as a white Nissan. Other than the two deceased elderly victims, it was not immediately known how many other people were trapped inside the car or if any of the victims had been pulled from the vehicle before the fire began to spread.

Although a water-dropping air tanker and helicopter have been released from the incident, firefighters are expected to remain at the scene for several more hours conducting overhaul and mop-up operations.

Coroner officials are now at the scene assisting with the ongoing crash and fire investigation.

Hwy. 299 remains closed while fire crews and law enforcement works at the scene of the fatal wreck. Officials stated around 4 p.m. that the roadway would likely remain closed for about one to two more hours and area motorists later reported that the highway was re-opened around 6 p.m.

No homes or structures have been reported lost.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

 

ORIGINAL STORY: BELLA VISTA: At least one dead after fiery, solo-vehicle wreck – spreading fire threatening homes

BELLA VISTA — Details are beginning to emerge after a fiery, solo-vehicle wreck that has left at least one person dead and already burned more than an acre east of Redding. The deadly accident happened earlier this afternoon on SR-299 near Woodman Ln., about 12 miles east of Interstate 5.

California Highway Patrol, Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire, and other emergency personnel were notified regarding a single vehicle crash on the north side of the roadway around 2:30 p.m. The deadly accident involved a small, white Nissan that crashed on Hwy. 299, near Mile Marker 36.

A CHP incident log indicated that multiple 911 callers reported that the wrecked vehicle had caught fire and “multiple people” were seen trapped inside the burning wreckage of the car.

Within minutes, callers reported that the wind-whipped fire had already consumed more than an acre of vegetation.

When officials began arriving in the area they confirmed the Nissan was fully engulfed in flames but could not confirm if any of the victims were recovered from the burning car.

Officers immediately began to use their PA’s to warn area residents regarding the growing blaze, which was beginning to threaten area homes and other structures.

Officials requested SHASCOM emergency dispatchers to activate the County’s “Reverse 911” emergency phone notification system to warn area residents about the danger and advised that Hwy. 299 would likely be closed for several hours due to the accident and growing fire.

Twenty minutes after the accident was reported, officials at the scene requested coroners respond to the location; however, it was not immediately known if the coroner’s response would be delayed due to the vegetation fire, which a medic at the scene reported was creating “extremely dangerous road conditions.”

At 3 p.m., CHP reported that the fire had jumped from the north side of the highway to the south side and grown to include both sides of Woodman Ln as well. Minutes later, CHP requested notification be made to all area news agencies, to help spread word about the fire and growing danger to residents in the area.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.