6 family members die in fiery I-5 crash near Firebaugh; southbound lanes open
UPDATE: The Fresno County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday identified the victims:
Idalia Perez, 31, of Sonoma, who was also eight months pregnant, and her three children: Ixzel Colin, 10, of Sonoma (girl); Luis Colin, 8, of Sonoma; and Jorge Colin-Perez, 2, of Sonoma. Also killed was Perez’s mother-in-law, Martha Colin, 52, of Sonoma.
The coroner’s office noted it had to wait on DNA to confirm some of the identities.
ORIGINAL STORY: A fiery collision involving a big rig and a pickup claimed the lives of six family members in the pickup Tuesday night near Firebaugh and the southbound lanes of the freeway remained closed Wednesday morning as investigators evaluated what took place.
The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m., when the pickup carrying five people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, crossed over from northbound lanes to the southbound side, causing the collision, said CHP spokeswoman Shasta Tollefson.
The pickup burst into flames, and the big rig, carrying cardboard, also caught fire.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Coroners Office did not identify the victims Wednesday afternoon but said it is :working with information that points to this being a family from Northern California.”
The victims, the coroner’s office said, include a 31-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant; her three children ages, 10, 8 and 1; and the woman’s 52-year-old mother-in-law.
Southbound traffic was routed on a 33-mile detour to Highway 33, then to Derrick Avenue and back to I-5. Drivers within the crash investigation scene were unable to leave for several hours, according to the CHP.
The CHP and Caltrans evaluated the condition of the roadway, damaged by flames from the crash, but reopened it later in the morning.
It was the second multiple-fatality crash in less than a week in western Fresno County.
Last Friday night, seven children were among nine people killed when an SUV and truck crashed head-on and the truck caught fire on Highway 33 near Coalinga.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:54 AM.