KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that a vehicle crash on Tuesday afternoon was the source of a wildland fire in the Kelseyville area.
The CHP’s Tuesday night report said the minor-injury crash involving three Kelseyville residents that sparked the Bottle fire occurred at 4:35 p.m. on Highway 29 just north of Highway 175/Cobb.
The Bottle fire burned 75 acres and was 50-percent contained by Tuesday night, according to Cal Fire.
The crash occurred about a half hour after a major-injury collision close to the same area, based on CHP reports.
The CHP said that Wyatt Gaskell, 17, was driving a 1985 Toyota pickup southbound on Highway 29 at approximately 55 miles per hour when he failed to observe that traffic in front of him had slowed.
Gaskell applied his brakes and swerved to the left to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him, according to the report.
The CHP said Susan Suenram, 62, was driving a 2004 Ford F-250 pickup at 35 miles per hour northbound on Highway 29 with 64-year-old Robert Suenram riding as her passenger.
Gaskell swerved to his left, traveling into the northbound lane and Susan Suenram’s path. The CHP said she swerved to the left to avoid Gaskell’s Toyota.
The right front of Suenram’s pickup hit the right rear of Gaskell’s Toyota, causing the Toyota to overturn at least twice before going off the roadway, according to the CHP report.
The CHP said Gaskell’s Toyota landed in a field east of Highway 29 and immediately caught fire, with the fire spreading to nearby vegetation.
Authorities closed Highway 29 at Bottle Rock Road, Highway 281 at Kit’s Corner and Highway 175/Cobb in order to divert traffic as Cal Fire and local fire agencies responded to fight the fire, the CHP said. Traffic was diverted onto Red Hills Road and Highway 175 around the incident.
The CHP said Gaskell was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries, while both Susan and Robert Suenram were checked at the scene and released. The report said Susan Suenram had minor injuries.
The Suenrams and Gaskell all were wearing their seat belts, the CHP said.
Neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash, which the CHP said remained under investigation by Officer Steve Patrick.
The fast-moving fire had, at one point, led the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to issue an evacuation advisory for nearby homes, with that advisory lifted a few hours later.
Radio reports on Tuesday evening indicated that forward progress on the Bottle fire was stopped at around 7 p.m., however, work continued on the incident through the night.
The CHP said the highway reopened shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
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CHP reports on crash that started fire near Kelseyville
- Elizabeth Larson
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