RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Two teenagers were killed and three others critically injured early Sunday morning after a solo-vehicle crash and fire on Scott Road north of Latrobe Road near Rancho Murieta, according to the California Highway Patrol and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Authorities said five teenagers were inside the vehicle when it struck a tree shortly after midnight and caught fire. The three surviving teenagers were transported to area trauma centers with critical injuries.

The crash occurred on the west side of Scott Road on the Pilliken Ranch property, according to rancher Leland Schneider, who leases the land for cattle grazing.

CHP officer Angie Monroe said she had limited information about the deceased victims, but identified the driver as a 16-year-old girl and the right front passenger as a 14-year-old girl.

Monroe said passing motorists helped the three teenagers seated in the rear of the vehicle escape before firefighters arrived. She said two of the surviving passengers are 16 years old, and the third is 15.

As of May 18, Monroe texted that she couldn’t confirm the city of residence for the five teenagers. “But I am not hearing that any of them are from RM.”

Monroe said that speed “definitely was a factor” in the accident but it was unknown if drugs or alcohol contributed.

Neighbor Fred Hegge, whose property is across from the crash site on Scott Road, said he was awakened by the sound of the collision. He could also hear a young male calling out for help. While he was on the phone with 911, he heard several loud “pop, pop, pop” sounds. He told the dispatcher that it sounded like gunfire, making him hesitant to go to the scene.

Hegge said a neighbor who went to the scene told him that the noises were tires exploding in the intense heat of the fire. The neighbor also told Hegge that when CHP officers first arrived from Folsom, they approached the scene with their guns drawn, likely because of the report Hegge had given the dispatcher about possible gunfire.

Hegge said he didn’t initially see a fire from his house, but later saw flames shooting high into a tree. “And, then it went up 25 to 30 feet in the air,” he said.

After Hegge got into his truck to determine where the accident had occurred, he encountered a Jeep-type vehicle parked in his driveway, occupied by four young men. They told him they had seen the vehicle involved in the crash earlier on the dirt section of Latrobe Road and had been traveling some distance behind it before the accident occurred.

Hegge then drove back to his house, through his gates, to reach his property across from the crash scene so he could check his fence line near the horses. By that time, the fire had already been extinguished.

He watched the emergency response for about half an hour as three or four ambulances arrived and departed from the scene. Hegge estimated there were about 10 CHP vehicles at the crash site.

Hegge also recalled seeing a barefooted teenager moving around the scene trying to find a blanket in the cold overnight temperatures.

According to Hegge, the neighbor who went to the crash scene told him that three surviving teenagers were initially placed into a private vehicle before being transferred to ambulances by emergency responders.

Hegge said a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District battalion chief later told him that the two teenagers in the front of the vehicle had perished.

Scott Road remained closed for several hours overnight, Hegge said.

About eight hours after the crash, the father of a Folsom teenager visited the scene and spoke with the River Valley Times while local rancher Leland Schneider and one of his employees repaired damaged fencing near the roadway to prevent cattle from escaping onto the road.

The father said his son told him the northbound vehicle that later crashed had sped past him moments earlier at what appeared to be an extremely high rate of speed.

According to the father, his son did not witness the crash. When the teenager came over the hill moments later, he encountered the burning wreckage. The father said his son attempted to help victims escape before emergency crews arrived.

According to the father, three teenagers in the back seat were already trying to get out of the vehicle, and his son helped pull them away from the scene. The father said his son was unable to reach the other two occupants.

The father also said another Folsom teenager, a girl, stopped at the scene to help while other motorists continued driving past the crash.

“My son said cars were just driving by,” he said.

The father said he did not press his son for additional details because the teenager was emotionally shaken by what he had witnessed.

“He was a mess last night,” he said.

The father said he later drove to the crash site himself to better understand the scene his son had encountered.

Schneider said serious crashes are not uncommon along Scott Road.

“This is every year,” Schneider said while inspecting damaged fencing near the scene. “Two, three, four wrecks a year.”

Sacramento Metropolitan Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn, who was serving as the acting public information officer, issued a brief news release after the crash. Wilbourn concluded his release by saying: “Sacramento Metro Fire extends our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones affected by this tragic incident. We remain hopeful that the victims currently receiving treatment will make a full recovery.”

The CHP investigation remains ongoing.

Additional details that came in after the River Valley Times went to press on Monday will be posted at therivervalleytimes.com as they become available.