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Speeding Cited As Factor In Fiery Crash That Killed Driver, Seriously Burned Passenger

SILVERADO (CBSLA.com)  —  Authorities believe speed was a factor in a fiery crash that left a 19-year-old driver dead and his passenger with serious burns in Silverado early Sunday morning.

The driver crashed into a tree and the car burst into flames, officials said.

Firefighters were dispatched to Santiago Canyon Road north of Modjeska Canyon Road around 2 a.m., said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

Two passersby  were able to pull the passenger out of the 1995 Nissan, but the driver -- identified by the CHP as Cesar Hernandez of Santa Ana -- died in the fiery wreck, Concialdi said.

The injured man, identified by the CHP as Santa Ana resident Alejandro Lopez, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands, arms and legs and was in serious condition when taken to the burn center at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Concialdi said.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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