Six people were injured after a crash apparently sparked a fire that spread to a nearby residence and storage facility in San Bernardino Wednesday morning, officials said.
The crash, which involved an SUV, occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the area of Garden Drive and Baseline Street, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike McClintock.
The SUV somehow ended up on top of a safety post next to a large propane tank at a U-Haul dealership.
While first responders were headed to the scene, 911 dispatchers received another call that the fire extended to an adjacent storage unit, McClintock said. When officials arrived at the scene, they discovered an apartment unit in flames in the 1200 block of Garden Street.
Investigators say during the crash, a propane tank was sheared off its foundation and the propane leaked toward the structures, which were about 30 yards away.
"As the propane went that way, for an unknown reason, the propane was ignited, causing fire on that side of the street," said San Bernardino Police Department Sgt. John Echevarria. "There are two ... residential structures that were burned."
Firefighters knocked down the blaze in about 40 minutes.
Six people were injured, including four with burns, fire officials said. Two others suffered trauma. The extent of their injuries and their conditions were not immediately known.
All six patients were transported to hospitals, according to the Fire Department.
The fire remains under investigation.