Person Killed In 405 Crash

A person was killed today in a fiery five-vehicle crash on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway in the North Hills area, authorities said.

Paramedics sent to the freeway near Devonshire Street at 7:35 a.m. pronounced the person dead at the scene, said Eric French of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

An injured person was treated at the scene and released; two other people described as “patients” left the scene on their own; and an injured person was taken to a hospital for treatment, French said.

The injured victim was taken to a hospital and treated for “minor to moderate” injuries, California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang said.

The fatally injured person was described only as a female, coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said.

Tang said five vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash, and three of them caught fire. According to reports from the scene, those vehicles were two pickups and a car.

The carpool lane was blocked -- along with 1, 2 and 3 lanes -- while an investigation was conducted into the cause of the crash, Tang said. Two lanes remained open.

---City News Service

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