3 killed, 5 injured in fiery Woodland Hills crash

WOODLAND HILLS (CNS / FOX 11) - Bystanders used fire extinguishers, and when those ran out, buckets of water in a vain attempt to save three men trapped in a Ford Mustang that had plowed into three cars, firefighters said Sunday.

But the three trapped men died.

Five other people were injured in the four-vehicle crash at 9 p.m. Saturday in Woodland Hills, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The three men were rushed from the crash, on the boulevard at DeSoto Avenue, to area hospitals, where they died from their injuries, according to the coroner's office.

Police said a black 2015 Ford Mustang with three men inside was being driven west on Ventura Boulevard. It struck a white 2015 Mercedes that was pulling out of a Chevron gas station at De Soto, the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division reported.

The Mustang hit the Mercedes and then plowed head-on into a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu that was moving in the opposite direction, police said. The Mustang came to rest against a black 2012 Honda Accord parked on the south curb.

All three occupants in the Mustang were killed.

"Bystanders bravely used fire extinguishers and buckets of water to hold back flames until the LAFD arrived to extinguish.''

The five injured were taken to hospitals, where three later died and two were in serious condition, he said.

Three people refused medical care at the scene, Humphrey said.

LAPD Valley Traffic detectives asked anyone who saw the crash to call them at (818) 644-8115.

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