Vehicle Collision and Fire Shuts Down Highway 1 Near Vandenberg Space Force Base

A vehicle collision and subsequent fire closed Highway 1 in both directions near Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday afternoon.

At 2:00 p.m., Santa Barbara County Fire, Vandenberg SFB Fire, California Highway Patrol, and AMR ambulance responded to the northbound lanes of Highway 1, just north of Firefighter Road.

Crews discovered a two-vehicle collision involving a truck hauling a trailer and a sedan, where the truck and trailer were engulfed in flames caused by the collision.

Highway 1 was closed in both directions as firefighters knocked down the fire. Both vehicles had rolled with the sedan landing on its roof.

Two occupants in the truck sustained minor injuries and were transported by AMR ground ambulance to a nearby hospital. The driver in the sedan also sustained minor injuries but refused medical care. 

As of 4:45 p.m., CHP stated the number two northbound lane and southbound lanes of Highway 1 have opened.

The cause of the collision is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.