Woman survives Angeles Crest crash that killed one, sparked fire

A car plunged several hundred feet down a steep embankment in the Angeles National Forest early Friday, killing one person, seriously injuring another and sparking a small brush fire, officials said.

The crash was reported about 12:15 a.m. on Glendora Ridge Road west of Mt. Baldy Road in the Angeles Crest area, said California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez.

A female passenger, Madison Spangenthal, 19, of San Juan Capistrano, was able to crawl from the fiery wreckage and was evacuated by helicopter to County USC Medical Center with bruises and lacerations, Jimenez said.

Spangenthal told authorities she was traveling with a male driver. The badly burned remains of a body, believed to be the driver, were discovered near the vehicle, but no identity has been confirmed, Jimenez said.

Firefighters used two water-dropping helicopters to fight flames from the crash that spread to surrounding brush. The fire was limited to an acre and fully contained at about 5:40 a.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector Keith Mora.

Fire crews were still at the scene doing mop-up on hot spots, Mora said. An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash.

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carla.rivera@latimes.com

Twitter:carlariveralat