Single-Car Crash Ignites Blaze on Riverside Freeway; 4 Hurt
A car that careened down an embankment on the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim Hills on Saturday afternoon injured the two occupants of the car and ignited a 60-acre brush fire that injured two firefighters, authorities said.
The 1:30 p.m. accident in eastbound lanes, closed parts of the freeway just east of Coal Canyon Road for two hours.
About 150 firefighters from state, county and city agencies fought the fast-moving blaze in rugged terrain on the ground and from the air, fire officials said.
One firefighter was taken to a hospital after falling 100 feet, said Maria Sabol, an Anaheim city spokeswoman. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, she said.
Another firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Sabol said. The names and departments of the injured firefighters were not available.
A 31-year-old Fullerton woman who was driving the Toyota Celica that plunged 75 feet down the embankment, and her 5-year-old passenger, were hurt in the single-vehicle accident, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said. Both were taken to Riverside Community Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Their names were not available.
Within minutes of the accident, the fire had spread 300 feet up the hillside and was 200 yards wide, authorities said.
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