Man Dies in Fiery Vehicle Collision

(Photos by David Neels / SBCFD)

A man died in a single-vehicle collision in the Santa Maria area Wednesday evening after his car caught fire.

At 7:27 p.m., Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to a vehicle accident on Highway 101 southbound near the Clark Ave exit in Orcutt. Fire crews found a vehicle that had left the roadway, struck a large tree causing major front-end damage to the vehicle, rolled into the off-ramp and caught fire, said Public Information Officer Mike Eliason.

Firefighters worked for 15 minutes to put out the fire and used the Jaws of Life to completely cut off the roof of the vehicle to reach the occupants inside. After 20 minutes, fire crews gained access and found the male driver, approximately 60-years-old, was already dead.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating this incident.