Pickup crashes and burns; occupants flee scene

The occupants of a pickup that crashed and burned on Corning Road fled on foot, reported the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said they may have suffered injuries.

The CHP said a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup was westbound on Corning Road at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday when the driver went off the north side of the roadway near Freeman Schoolhouse Road.

The driver overcorrected causing the pickup to swerve across the roadway where it went through a ditch and fence, said CHP Officer Jake Bushey.

"The pickup than began to roll several times end-over-end, coming to rest on its top about 50 feet into a field," he said.

Although the vehicle had major damage and was on fire, the occupants were able to free themselves and fled on foot, Bushey said.

"The pickup was registered to Peter Houle of Orland, but we don't believe he was an occupant of the pickup at the time of the crash. We have the name of a possible driver, but we haven't been able to prove he was behind the wheel at this time," the officer said.

CalFire firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames and a search was conducted to make sure none of the pickup's occupants were thrown and laying injured near the scene.

Witnesses reported seeing two people picked up by another vehicle near the scene not long after the crash, according to the CHP report.