Fiery multicar crash on the 5 Freeway in Irvine leaves one dead

A fiery multicar crash on the 5 freeway in Irvine on Monday night left one person dead and two others injured, authorities said.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday, there was a report of a multiple-vehicle collision on the northbound 5 freeway, south of Jamboree Road, said Chief Steve Pardi, with the Orange County Fire Authority.

Arriving units found cars on fire, with at least one person trapped inside, Pardi said. One person died at the scene, and a burn victim and additional crash victim were transported to a hospital, he said.

The collision, which occurred on the border of Irvine and Tustin, involved the driver of a 1994 Dodge van who was driving at an unsafe speed, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver was unable to safely slow or stop before colliding with a vehicle ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction. The second vehicle collided with one in front of it, and the vehicles later collided with two additional cars.

After the collisions, a fire erupted in the engine compartment of the first vehicle that had been hit, fully engulfing the car with the driver still inside. The fire spread to the Dodge van, but with help from others, that driver was rescued.

The driver of the car that was struck was pronounced dead at the scene.

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