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6 killed, several injured after fiery crash in Los Angeles neighborhood

LOS ANGELES — A multi-vehicle crash left six people dead and at least eight others injured Thursday in a Los Angeles neighborhood, authorities said.

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Among the fatalities in the unincorporated Windsor Hills section of the city were an infant and a pregnant woman, KTLA reported.

Officer Franco Pepi, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson, said one of the fatalities included a pregnant woman. The highway patrol is counting her unborn child as a fifth fatality “due to rare circumstances,” Pepi told the newspaper.

Pepi said that “at least six to seven vehicles” were involved in the crash, KTLA-TV reported. Three of the vehicles became engulfed in flames.

“It looked like the whole intersection from corner to corner was on fire,” Harper Washington, who witnessed the crash, told KABC. “A lot of sparks and electricity. I was under the impression that really at first I thought they dropped a bomb on us. I thought another world war had started. Then I realized it was a car into the sign.

“Once the fire went away and the booming left, I realized it was two cars there. You could see the people on fire and that’s just sad. I really pray for the people and the community.”

Debra Jackson, one of the victims of the crash, told KCBS-TV that she heard “a big explosion” as she attempted to fill her vehicle with gasoline.

“As I was trying to turn around, the flames just went over everybody,” Jackson told the television station. “The flames went over my whole car and they told me to jump out of my car. And I jumped out of my car and just left my car sitting right there.”

Authorities transported eight people to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment, the Times reported. Six were teens, and one suffered major injuries, according to the newspaper.

The woman driving the Mercedes was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, KCBS reported. If she survives her injuries, the woman could face multiple criminal charges, KABC reported.

The ages and names of the victims were not immediately available, according to KABC.