OCEANSIDE (CNS) — The Oceanside Fire Department responded early this morning to two vehicle crashes -- one involving a tree and the other a home — happening within less than an hour of each other.
At 2:22 a.m. Saturday, first responders sent to northbound Interstate 5, south of state Route 76, found a burning vehicle smashed into a tree on a hillside, the department said.
"Arriving crews found the engine compartment fully engulfed in flames and the driver trapped inside," according to the OFD. "Firefighters simultaneously extinguished the fire, stabilized the vehicle and extricated the victim within nine minutes of arrival."
The victim was flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla in "critical but stable condition," OFD officials said.
At 2:50 a.m., the OFD was called to 644 Elaine Ave., where an SUV veered off Vandergrift Road, crashing into a home. Officials said the SUV hit a bedroom, where a woman was sleeping, but "fortunately, no serious injuries were reported."
After securing the scene, crews turned off utilities and waited for a building inspector to assess any structural damage.
According to the Oceanside Police Department, the driver was intoxicated. An OPD officer said that while the home sustained significant damage, it was not uninhabitable.
It was unclear if there were any passengers in the SUV, or to what extent the driver was injured.
