Fiery crash near Dunnigan claims 2 drivers’ lives

Two people died Saturday night when their cars collided, then caught fire on Interstate 5 near Dunnigan, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Bryan Konvalin said officers were first alerted to a problem at about 11:10 p.m., when the CHP received reports of a vehicle with no headlights, and possibly facing the wrong way, on northbound I-5 south of County Road 8. As officers were en route, they learned the car, an Oldsmobile Achieva, had collided with a Honda Accord.

The crash caused the Honda to roll on top of the Oldsmobile, and both vehicles burst into flames with the drivers still inside, Konvalin said. Rescue efforts by CHP officers and firefighters were unsuccessful.

Yolo County coroner’s officials have identified the Oldsmobile’s driver as 40-year-old Jorge Mora Arias of Woodland. The Honda’s driver, a 34-year-old Willows woman, has yet to be positively identified, and autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday.

Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, though the cause remains under investigation, Konvalin said.

The crash resulted in a three-hour shutdown of I-5′s northbound lanes while emergency personnel investigated the scene and cleared the roadway. Traffic was diverted to 99W in Zamora during that time.