Five people died Friday afternoon in a fiery pileup on state Route 67 in Poway that also sparked a small brush fire, authorities said.
The three-vehicle collision occurred at about 12:30 p.m. near Iron Mountain Drive in the eastern reaches of the community, according to the
San Diego County Sheriff’s Office
.
The victims, whose names were withheld pending notification of next of kin, died at the scene, Sgt. Saleem Payman said.
The crash sent one of the vehicles into a ravine and ignited roadside brush. Ground and airborne crews were able to halt the blaze at about a half-acre, according to Cal Fire.
The fire caused no reported structural damage. The Sheriff’s Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team is assisting personnel from the Poway Sheriff’s Station in the investigation.
Deputies collected video footage which will be used to help determine the cause of the collision, according to the Sheriff’s office.
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The crash closed both lanes of SR-67 at Iron Mountain while investigators collected evidence, according to Caltrans in San Diego. City officials said the closure, between Poway Road and Scripps Poway Parkway, was expected to continue for up to four hours.
