An 8-year-old girl was killed and seven others were injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on collision involving three vehicles on a rural road near the East County community of Ranchita, authorities said.

Officials said alcohol was suspected to be a factor in the crash, which occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on the two-lane county Highway S-2, also known as San Felipe Road, south of Montezuma Valley Road.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the 25-year-old driver of a 2005 Toyota Tacoma was heading north on San Felipe Road when he crossed over the solid double-yellow line. The truck entered the southbound lane and crashed head-on into a Toyota Camry, officials said.

The Tacoma driver was unable to regain control of his truck and then crashed into the right side of a Ford F-350 pulling a utility trailer ahead of him that was also heading north, officials said.

The impact caused the Tacoma to overturn and catch fire, the CHP said.

Cal Fire crews extricated one victim who had been trapped in one of the vehicles, and also doused the fire, which did not spread beyond the Tacoma, agency spokesperson Capt. Mike Cornette said. The two people in the Tacoma were able to get out of the truck on their own, he said.

In all, five patients were transported to hospitals in four helicopters that were summoned, while three people were taken by ambulance, Cornette said.

The driver, an Oceanside resident, and his 24-year-old passenger both suffered major injuries and were transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital. Officials said the 26-year-old man from Yuma, Ariz., who was driving the Camry and his front passenger, a 28-year-old woman, also suffered major injuries and were taken to Sharp.

Three children were in the back of the Camry, and they were taken to Rady’s Children’s Hospital with major injuries. A 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy survived, but the girl succumbed to her injuries. Her name was not released.

A 13-year-old rear passenger in the Ford truck also sustained minor injuries, the CHP said.

Traffic on the road was blocked for hours as crews transported the injured people and removed the damaged vehicles. No other information about the CHP investigation was immediately available.