One dead in fiery crash on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa

A person was killed in a fiery crash early Saturday after a car veered off Highway 101 in south Santa Rosa, the CHP said.

At approximately 3:09 a.m., the CHP and Santa Rosa Fire Department responded to a report about a car fire in the parking lot of Bed Bath & Beyond on Santa Rosa Avenue in a shopping complex just south of the Yolanda Avenue exit.

Responding units found a Toyota Camry, resting on its roof and engulfed in flames, the CHP said.

A preliminary investigation determined that the Toyota was traveling north on the highway when, for reasons still under investigation, it drifted to the right and onto the shoulder, then continued out of control into a ditch. It finally smashed through a chain-link fence and hit two trees.

When responders arrived, the vehicle contained one occupant who had been trapped inside. Authorities pronounced that person dead at the scene. The CHP said late Saturday afternoon that it had not yet determined whether they were the driver.

Any inquiries on the identity of the deceased should be directed to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office. CHP is seeking input from any witnesses to the crash; call the Santa Rosa office at 707-588-1400 with any information.

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Skinny_Post.