CAR FIRE near Onyx Summit
Gets Immediate Attention
Tuesday, October 14, 2014, at approximately
1:20 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Holzberger, ID 15158, of the
Arrowhead CHP Area Office, in Running Springs was traveling northbound on State
Route 38, south of Onyx Summit near Angelus Oaks.
Officer Holzberger noticed smoke off to the
right past the guardrail. As he investigated
the source of the smoke, he noticed the top of a maroon colored SUV over the
side. The hood of the vehicle was open
from the collision and flames were coming from the engine compartment of the
SUV. The CHP Officer immediately ran
down the hillside to check the vehicle for occupants and yelled inside the
vehicle and heard the solo occupant reply “I’m here”.
Officer
Holzberger could see the occupant (Wallace Andrew Henderson, 69, Sugarloaf, CA)
was in the front passenger area. He
asked if he was okay and Wallace told Officer Holzberger that he had artificial
knees, shoulders and hips and could not get out on his own.
The
CHP Officer told Wallace the vehicle was on fire and he needed to get out. After Officer Holzberger assisted Wallace out
of the vehicle and up to safety; he returned to his patrol vehicle and retrieved
his fire extinguisher and shovel. He attempted to extinguish the fire with a fire
extinguisher. Because of the intensity of the car-fire the officer was only
able to contain it until San Bernardino County Fire personnel arrived at the
scene. Wallace sustained minor
abrasions to arms and complained of pain to his shoulders, as a result of this
incident.