One person died and another was critically injured Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, after a vehicle struck a power pole and caught fire near El Camino Avenue and Verna Way in Arden Arcade, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District
A motorist died and another was taken to a hospital in critical condition Tuesday after their car crashed into a power pole near El Camino Avenue in the Arden Arcade neighborhood, said Metro Fire officials.
The collision about 1:30 p.m. in the area of El Camino Avenue and Verna Way sheared the utility pole before the vehicle caught fire, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials. Responders arrived to find one of the victims unresponsive outside the vehicle, according to California Highway Patrol dispatch logs reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
Metro Fire crews knocked down the vehicle fire and tended to the two before pronouncing one of the victims dead at the scene. The surviving victim was severely injured and taken to the hospital, said Metro Fire.
Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will release the person’s name once next of kin are notified.
Live utility lines from the downed pole “created a significant hazard for emergency personnel,” Metro Fire said in a statement. Firefighters called Sacramento Municipal Utility District crews, who shut off electric power to the lines, allowing crews to safely work.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Motorists were being asked to avoid the area Tuesday afternoon.
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The Sacramento Bee
Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.