2 adults dead, baby girl rescued after fiery crash in Fresno County
A baby was saved from a fiery vehicle crash that claimed the lives of a man and a woman who are presumed to be the child?s parents.
By Gene Haagenson
Updated 10 mins ago
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A baby girl was saved from a fiery vehicle crash that claimed the lives of a man and a woman who are presumed to be the child's parents. It happened just after 3 a.m. Friday in a rural area southwest of Fresno. The baby was rescued by a man who lived near the crash site.
The vehicle, a Chevy Blazer, hit a utility pole on the side of the road, knocking down power lines. The lines were over the vehicle and on the ground, but that didn't stop Jose Sanchez, who heard the baby crying and ran to the flaming wreckage. But he was unable to save the couple trapped inside.
Sanchez was awakened by his wife who heard the crash. He told Action News, "At that point, there's an explosion and huge flash outside our bedroom window."
Once outside, they rushed toward the flames. Sanchez said, "We were hearing a baby cry."
Sanchez braved fallen power lines to reach the burning vehicle. He said, "I just kind of ducked under and went to the door that was open, which was that door, and that's when I see the baby on the ground. At first glance she looked OK because she was crying and just dusty, didn't look bloody, so at that point I just focused on the two people there. The male was kind of slumped over in the lady's lap, and she was in the back seat, and so his back was on fire, and so I just stomped it out a little bit. But then I seen underneath her seat that was all on fire, and she was moaning, but I couldn't get to her. So I grabbed the baby, took off and didn't get too far when everything started coming, started going."
The vehicle exploded in flames. Sanchez said the baby did not appear to be hurt, and fell asleep in his arms. She is now at a local hospital and said to be doing fine.
The California Highway Patrol and the Fresno County coroner are trying to identify the man and woman who died in the crash. Because of the burns, positive identification is expected to take a long time. However, persons believed to be family members of the victims have come forward.