Timber Cove firefighters extinguish small fire caused by Highway 1 crash

A single-vehicle crash on Highway 1 a few miles south of Timber Cove sparked a fire that spread into surrounding vegetation Wednesday night, but firefighters extinguished the blaze before it traveled far, officials said Thursday.

The collision was first reported at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday, after a driver crashed his car and it caught fire soon after, a Redcom dispatcher said. The California Highway Patrol and Timber Cove Fire Department responded, with support from the Coast Life Support District and Cal Fire Sea Ranch station.

CHP Officer Marcus Hawkins could not immediately provide details Thursday morning on what caused the crash. He said that the driver had been traveling in a Mazda CX-5 and was later placed under arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He was then released to the care of paramedics, who transported him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries, Hawkins said.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to the incident log, and no other property damage was reported.

The vehicle fire reportedly spread to the surrounding vegetation, Redcom said, but firefighters were able to contain it to an area of 20 to 25 square feet. The responding CHP officer reported the fire was extinguished about half an hour after the initial report, Hawkins said.

A phone call to the Timber Cove Fire Department was not immediately returned Thursday morning.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.