A 19-year-old man was killed and his 20-year-old passenger suffered burn injuries Sunday morning when the car they were in crashed into a tree and caught fire in the unincorporated Silverado area.
Firefighters responded about 2 a.m. to Santiago Canyon Road north of Modjeska Canyon Road, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
Passersby pulled the passenger out of the 1995 Nissan, but the driver — identified by the CHP as Cesar Hernandez of Santa Ana — died in the fiery wreck, Concialdi said.
The injured man, identified by the CHP as Santa Ana resident Alejandro Lopez, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms and legs and was in serious condition when taken to the burn center at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Concialdi said.
Speed was suspected to have been a factor in the crash.
— City News Service