Fatal, Fiery Beaumont Crash: One Dead, One Seriously Injured [UPDATED]

BEAUMONT, CA — One person was killed and another was seriously injured Friday morning when a vehicle crashed into a tree and a pole and caught fire in Beaumont. The crash was reported at 2:03 a.m. in the area of Beaumont Avenue and Cougar Way, said Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.

One of the occupants, a Beaumont resident who has not yet been publicly identified, died at the scene and the other was taken to an area hospital by ambulance with serious injuries, police and fire officials said. Beaumont police say they responded to several 911 calls regarding the crash.

"Officers arrived at the scene to find the vehicle fully engulfed in flames," Beaumont police said in a news release.

The first person who was found at the scene was alive. They were the one immediately transported to the hospital with serious injuries, according to police. It wasn't until after the fire was extinguished in the burning wreckage that the second individual was located.

The car appeared to have hit a tree and then a block wall — which had a large hole and burn marks on it Friday.

Items from the car, and parts of the car itself, lie strewn about Beaumont Avenue on Friday. Police were working to catalog and mark all the evidence.

It's not yet known whether alcohol or drugs may have played a part in the crash.

Beaumont Avenue was closed in the area for more than nine hours, affecting traffic — especially for those dropping students off at the high school.

It was closed between Cougar Way and Oak Valley Parkway until around 11:30 a.m. according to police.

Police are not releasing additional details on the crash at this time.

Patch will update this story as we learn more.