Oct. 05--Fire officials said one person was transported in a big rig crash and fire that caused about a $1 million in damage at a Carmax in Oxnard Saturday morning.
Roughly 40 firefighters from the Oxnard and Ventura County fire departments responded about 7:30 a.m. to an overturned big rig that went off the roadway of southbound Highway 101 and crashed into the backside of a Carmax parking lot, Oxnard fire department spokesman Sergio Martinez said.
When fire crews got to the scene they found a big rig carrying paper towels was well involved in flames, Martinez said. The fire spread to 16 higher-end vehicles in the lot, Martinez said.
All fires were extinguished around 30 to 45 minutes after firefighters responded, Martinez said.
Carmax estimated the crash and fires caused about $1.1 million in damage, Martinez said. A person answering the phone at the Carmax said the business was closed and the company was not releasing a statement regarding the incident.
The driver of the big rig was taken to Ventura County Medical Center with unknown injuries, Martinez said. No one else was reported injured.
The cause of the crash was under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, but Martinez said wind could have been a factor in the crash and spread of the flames.
"The wind didn't help," Martinez said. "It just gave more oxygen to the flames."
Firefighters were in the overhaul stages of the fire about 10:40 a.m., cleaning and moving debris from the site of the incident, Martinez said.
Copyright 2013 - Ventura County Star, Calif.
