Two CHP Officers Burned as Stalled Car Explodes Beside Interstate 215 in Moreno Valley, Riverside County
Moreno Valley, a city in Riverside County, California – Two California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers were engulfed in flames and suffered minor to moderate burn injuries on October 25 when a stalled car exploded beside northbound Interstate 215, just south of the State Route 60 (Moreno Valley Freeway) transition, the CHP said on October 26. The driver, suspected of driving under the influence, was arrested.
CHP Officer Javier Navarro said a 2007 Toyota Camry broke down in the traffic lanes shortly after 3 p.m. after its driver, allegedly under the influence, experienced unspecified difficulties. The motorist and a friend pushed the sedan onto the right shoulder just as two CHP units arrived. The two officers were standing near the unoccupied Toyota, speaking with the driver, when “an explosion occurred, causing the officers to be engulfed in flames,” Navarro said. The motorist and his friend were not hurt.
Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location within a few minutes and doused the blaze, which did not spread to vegetation. The officers were taken to the nearby Riverside University Health System Medical Center for treatment and are expected to fully recover with no long-term complications, according to the CHP. The driver was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of DUI; his identity was not immediately disclosed, and his friend was not arrested. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州公路巡警（CHP）的Dodge Charger巡逻车与CHP直升机（资料图，非事发现场）。图片：CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: A California Highway Patrol Dodge Charger and a CHP helicopter (file photo; not the incident scene). Image: CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
