A collision between a big rig and car just north of San Jacinto Wednesday left one person dead and another injured, as well as triggered a nearly 100-acre brush fire that Cal Fire aircraft slowed down.
The crash was reported at 2:55 p.m. at the intersection of Bridge Street and Gilman Springs Road, near Mystic Lake, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officials said the tractor trailer and car impacted in northbound lanes, but no other details were available.
The driver of the car, whose identity was not immediately released, was pulled from the wreckage in grave condition. Despite life-saving measures, the victim died at the scene.
The trucker suffered minor injuries and was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment.
A fire erupted immediately after the collision, jumping to roadside vegetation and then extending into a field, pushed by light to moderate winds, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Multiple county engine and hand crews were sent to battle the brusher, along with two Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter from Hemet-Ryan Airport, a few miles to the south.
The aircraft initiated a series of runs that blunted the fire’s progress. By 5:30 p.m., the forward rate of spread was stopped, and the brusher was about 10% contained, officials said.
No structures were damaged.
CHP officers shut down Gilman Springs between Alessandro Boulevard, east of Moreno Valley, and Bridge to the south, for public safety. The closure was not expected to be lifted until 8 p.m.
Traffic was being turned around at the closure points, the CHP said.