La Jolla
A motorist was killed Thursday when his van went off Desert View Drive, tumbled 300 feet down an embankment and burst into flames.
The crash was discovered about 8 a.m. when firefighters were called to fight a fire in the Mt. Soledad area just west of Interstate 5. When firefighters arrived, they found the van and surrounding grass engulfed in flames, San Diego Fire Department spokesman Larry Carlson said.
Inside the vehicle, which had no license plates, was the body of a man, burned beyond recognition.
Carlson said the fire was ignited by the van’s ruptured gas tank.
San Diego Police Sgt. Gary Gollehon said traffic investigators are attempting to determine what caused the van to go off the 5600 block of Desert View Drive. A neighbor told authorities that he heard a loud noise about 7:15 a.m. and went to investigate but could not see anything because of the early-morning fog.
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