Crime & Safety
Crash Sparks Fire, Closes Highway 129 East of Watsonville
The highway will be shut down until at least 3 p.m.
A crash involving a big rig and a sedan ignited a wildland fire on Highway 129 near Chittenden Road early Tuesday afternoon and the highway will be closed until at least 3 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.
The collision happened around 12:10 p.m. just west of Highway 101, near the Santa Cruz-San Benito county line, when a gas truck and a Mitsubishi Eclipse collided, according to the CHP.
The crash sparked a grass fire that quickly spread into the trees, threatening at least one home in the area. Cal Fire crews responded to control the flames, according to the CHP.
A column of black smoke could be seen in Aromas and Hollister, KSBW reported. The TV station posted this photo of the smoke.
Early details about the collision were contradictory. Some witnesses heard explosions. One report said the truck driver was trapped and his rig fully engulfed in flames, another said he was fine but the driver of the car was stuck in that vehicle. In one account, the truck was left in the westbound lane and the car in the eastbound lane, but missing its front end. Another report said the car was down an embankment.
Both drivers reportedly suffered major injuries, according to the CHP.
Highway 129 will be closed for at least three hours. The closure is at Rogge Lane for eastbound traffic and at Highway 101 for westbound vehicles. A Sig-Alert was issued. Get further CHP traffic updates on this website.
Do you see the smoke or get caught in traffic? Send your reports and photos to jennifer.squires@patch.com
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