Couple recounts being stranded on I-5 as brush fire burned near Coalinga
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The winds are picking up Friday night, prompting new fire concerns just 24 hours after the Coal Fire in Coalinga.
New video shows the chaos on the I-5 Thursday night as flames raced toward Austin Cassidy and Andrea Fekete.
The couple came face-to-face with the Coal Fire as they drove through Coalinga on their way from Los Angeles to Sonoma.
"The median was completely engulfed in flames," recalled Austin.
The flames were so intense that the couple felt the heat.
"It's just like an oven with, like, a fan just blowing towards you. It's just so hot, and then the smoke, too."
The strong winds served as fuel for the fire.
"What was running through my mind was, if one ember crosses from the median fire to the other side, we're going to be completely surrounded in flames," Austin said.
With flames just feet away, the couple feared for their lives.
They joined motorists who rushed to the shoulder, only to find a barbed wire fence.
"A few people threw a blanket onto the barbed wire fencing to get over it in the heat of the moment," Austin explained.
"The workers at the cattle ranch actually helped them over."
The firefight and the fear went on for hours,
The area - completely charred on Thursday, as we learned it started with a deadly traffic accident.
A wrong-way driver crashed head-on into a van, and then another car.
The California Highway Patrol confirms the crash killed three people.
"I feel extremely bad for the families of those victims that aren't going to see their family members now because of this," said Lt. Matt Zulim.
The Coal Fire grew to 90 acres.
On the side of the freeway, the couple described a sense of community.
Motorists looked out for each other with death just feet away Thursday night,
The couple is now thankful to be alive, safely in Sonoma.
The investigation into the crash that sparked it all could take months.
For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, X and Instagram.
