5 killed, 1 seriously hurt in fiery Irvine crash leaving amusement park

Five young people were killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash on the Santa Ana 5 Freeway in Irvine early Saturday morning.

“They were burned beyond recognition,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

Concialdi also said paramedics rushed a sixth person, a male teenager, to Mission Hospital in serious condition. That victim said the carload of teens was returning from a late-night trip to Knott’s Berry Farm or “Knott’s Scary Farm,” according to broadcast reports.

The crash happened just before 2:15 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

A freelance videographer at the scene said a CHP sergeant told him the victims appeared to be in their mid-to-late teens.

The age, gender or hometown of the victims has not been released.

The vehicle also ignited a small brush fire, he said. The quarter-acre brush fire was put out within 30 minutes, Concialdi said.

Video from the scene showed an older BMW, burned, perched atop a retaining wall but beneath the freeway.

Seven hours after the crash, three lanes of southbound Interstate 5 remained closed as investigators worked.