Woman engulfed in flames after car crashes into southwest Fresno market

A car crashed into a closed southwest Fresno market and triggered a fire Sunday afternoon, fatally injuring a woman and police trying to figure out what led to the crash.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and the woman was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where she died early Monday morning, according to the Fresno County Coroner’s Office. She was identified as Milicent Epperson, 53, of Fresno.

Although initially unclear if Epperson had been driving or was a passenger, it has been determined that she was the driver, Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes said.

Just after 2:30 p.m. officers received reports that a vehicle had crashed into a building in the area of Martin and California avenues, near Edison High School. Police arrived and found the car inside the produce market with the fire under way.

Fire crews were on the scene shortly thereafter, made their way inside and found Epperson out of the car but engulfed in flames.

No one else was found in the building. The market was closed at the time of the crash, police said.

Moments before the crash, according to Fresno Police Lt. Stephen Viveros, officers on an unrelated traffic stop in the area saw the vehicle that would crash into the building traveling at a high rate of speed.

This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 4:45 PM.