Mustang Sparks Vegetation Fire After Crashing Off Freeway In Elk Grove
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — One man is lucky to be alive after crashing his Mustang along Interstate 5 near the Laguna Boulevard exit in Elk Grove – but his luck doesn't stop there.
The crash sparked a vegetation fire that required a significant response. Crews were able to get the blaze under control under very difficult conditions.
The blue Mustang is now torched and totaled. After it crashed, it rolled to a stop at the edge of a dry field in Elk Grove.
When it crashed, it initially took out six guard rails posts and then it rolled about 100 feet onto a grassy area. Metal was left on the ground where the car ended up, eventually starting the fire — and the fire burned fast.
"The first arriving engine from Cosumnes Fire Department arrived to find the car on fire and the grass fire starting to spread," Dan Quiggle with the Cosumnes Fire Department said.
Quiggle says crews called for backup from additional engines and helicopters.
"Today and tomorrow are red flag days in the Sacramento Valley which means high wind, high temperatures, the risk for rapid spread of a grass or brush fire is much higher," he said. "We go aggressively at these fires so that they can't spread."
Quiggle says the driver was able to call 911 himself to notify crews right away.
"If a fire does start, we want people to call 911 as quickly as possible, give as much information they can about the nature of the fire — where did it start, what direction it's going — so we can get the fire under control as quickly as possible," he said.
The driver of the vehicle was the only person inside the car and was taken to a nearby hospital. A California Highway Patrol officer at the scene said the driver will recover from their injuries,