Motorist dies in fiery crash in Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa police are investigating a fatal crash that took place Friday morning near the intersection of Newport Boulevard and 17th Street, where a vehicle crashed into a drainage ditch and became engulfed in flames, trapping the driver inside.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Chris Coates said a call came into the department at 5:21 a.m. as a possible grass fire just south of the intersection on Newport Boulevard, after a passerby saw flames near a culvert.

While fire crews were en route to the scene, the call was upgraded to a vehicle fire, and a fire captain requested an additional truck and engine company for possible extraction and extra water, according to Coates.

An Orange County Sheriff collects items from the wreckage of a fatal collision Friday on Newport Boulevard, where a vehicle reportedly crashed into a culvert and became engulfed in flames, killing the occupant.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

At the location, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, and firefighters immediately began to battle the blaze before making a grim discovery.

“As they were extinguishing the fire, they noticed there was an occupant inside,” Coates said. “So much fire had consumed the vehicle, the person did not survive.”

After the fire was put out, responders observed the crash had caused fuel from the vehicle to leak into the drainage culvert and so laid down an absorbent material to try to reduce the leakage, Coates said. An Orange County Public Works crew arrived on scene with a sand truck to control the runoff.

A body bag is moved into a coroner’s van after a fatal collision resulted in a vehicle fire Friday morning on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Costa Mesa police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene and is looking into the cause of the crash.

Fyad said a SigAlert was issued, closing the southbound lanes of Newport Boulevard. Sometime after 7 a.m. Friday, one lane was reopened to vehicle traffic. A team of fire personnel were attempting to extricate the individual from the wreckage.

The driver was the only occupant inside the vehicle at the time of the collision, Fyad confirmed. Information regarding the driver’s identity was not immediately provided Friday morning, pending notification of next of kin.

Costa Mesa police Friday investigate a fatal vehicle collision and fire on Newport Boulevard, south of 17th Street.

(Courtesy of Costa Mesa Police Department)

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