Wildfire breaks out near the 241 Toll Road in Santiago Canyon after suspected drunk driver crashes into power pole
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A five-acre brush fire in the Santiago Canyon area broke out Thursday morning, Oct. 24, when a man suspected of driving under the influence crashed his car into a power pole, authorities said.
Sometime before 4 a.m. a speeding Toyota Corolla sheared the pole in half at Santiago Canyon Road east of the 241 Toll Road, California Highway Patrol Officer John DeMatteo said.
The car then caught fire and flames spread into the nearby hillside, DeMatteo said.
An off-duty Orange County sheriff’s sergeant was driving on that stretch and “saw a fireball in the rearview mirror” and turned back, DeMatteo said. When the sergeant got there, he saw that the fire looked like it had started in the engine of the car and the driver was inside.
He went to get a fire extinguisher from his vehicle and then found that the driver had gotten out, DeMatteo said. The 26-year-old driver had a broken clavicle and bruises and was taken to a hospital and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the officer said.
Firefighters were able to stop the growth of the brush fire with ground crews and helicopter water drops, according to the Orange County Fire Authority, but were still working to completely extinguish it.
The blaze prompted a closure of Santiago Canyon Road from the 241 to Loma Ridge Road, authorities said. Live Oak Canyon Road to the 241 Freeway was accessible only to residents.
Santiago Fire 3:42 AM the OCFA responded to a car fire that extended into the brush. Crews are currently battling a 5 acre brush fire. A combination of night dropping helicopters and ground crews has stopped the forward progress of the fire and crews are working on containment. pic.twitter.com/PMU6yK1dtl
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) October 24, 2019