Four people, including a child under the age of 10, were killed Thursday night when a minivan slammed into a stopped big rig on a shoulder of the northbound 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita, setting both vehicles on fire.
"It (the big rig) was parked on the right shoulder for reasons unknown right now, being investigated,'' California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Greengard said. "The van veered to the right shoulder and crashed into the rear of big rig that was stationary. Subsequently, everything caught on fire. We have four people dead, with one of them being under 10 years old."
The crash was reported about 7:30 p.m. near Calgrove Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. It sparked a brush fire next to the freeway.
The big rig driver was not injured, a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatch supervisor said.
Lanes were closed until early Friday morning.
