Yahoo Autos Roundup: Brush fire outside Piru closes lanes of 126, fatality on Hwy 101, more news
Here's a roundup of recent incidents and announcements from Ventura County agencies:
Brush fire east of Piru
VENTURA COUNTY — A brush fire outside Piru closed lanes of Highway 126 for a time Friday night as firefighters staged along the highway.
The blaze, dubbed the Telegraph Fire, was reported around 8:35 p.m. near Camino Del Rio, east of Piru and near the line with Los Angeles County, according to Ventura County Fire Department reports.
The fire was about 2 miles south of Highway 126, burning under power lines in rugged hillside terrain that was difficult to access.
California Highway Patrol reports indicated a power line had sparked, starting the fire, according to the agency's log, although the information could not immediately be confirmed.
Authorities closed some traffic lanes on the 126 so firefighting vehicles could stage on the eastbound roadway.
Los Angeles County fire crews assisted, with helicopters from both agencies deployed. Forward progress was stopped shortly after 9:50 p.m., with the fire kept to about a quarter of an acre.
Most lanes of the highway had been opened by 10:15 p.m.
Fatal accident on Highway 101
OXNARD — A Ventura woman, 61, was killed in a three-vehicle crash on northbound Highway 101 in Oxnard Friday afternoon.
The accident was reported around 1:47 p.m. just north of Oxnard Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. Two pickup trucks and a sedan were involved.
All three vehicles had been traveling in the left lane of the freeway at the time, according to the CHP's account.
The Ventura woman had been driving a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup. In front of her was a 2011 Ford F-250 pickup driven by a Ventura man, 53. In front of the Ford was a BMW 750i driven by a 75-year-old Camarillo man.
As traffic slowed, the woman's Chevy couldn't stop and hit the Ford, causing the crash, CHP officials said. Her name was not released pending notification of relatives.
The reasons for the collision remained under investigation, but neither alcohol nor drugs were considered a factor.
The driver of the Ford suffered minor injuries while the BMW driver had no injuries, officials said.
The crash blocked the left two lanes of the freeway, slowing northbound traffic through the corridor for several hours.
Driver identified in fiery Westlake Boulevard fatality
THOUSAND OAKS — Authorities have identified the driver killed in a single-car crash early Tuesday in Thousand Oaks.
Tyler D. Sauvageau, 26, was a resident of Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.
The accident was reported shortly before 2 a.m. on Westlake Boulevard near Cloverleaf Street in the North Ranch neighborhood, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Sauvageau had been driving northbound on the boulevard when his BMW sedan left the road and hit a tree in the center median before becoming engulfed in flames, authorities said. No one else was in the car.
A similar accident occurred two days earlier when a 20-year-old Thousand Oaks man was killed after crashing into a tree on Wendy Drive in Newbury Park, with his car also becoming engulfed in flames.
