Before the rain began falling in earnest this morning, a small vegetation fire broke out when a vehicle crashed over the side of Highway 154 and burst into the flames. The SUV’s single occupant, a female driver whose name has not been released, was able to escape her car before the fire engulfed it.
It’s not clear what caused the accident. Capt. Dave Zaniboni with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said the incident occurred at around 8:20 a.m., and that the SUV ended up about 75 feet down an embankment. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze. The woman declined medical treatment at the scene and was transported to the hospital by a friend, Zaniboni said.