By Salvador Hernandez
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The wreckage of a McLaren 720S involved in a deadly crash that killed two people in Irvine spontaneously ignited and caught fire last week inside a secure facility, Irvine police said in a statement.
The 2019 McLaren had been driven Sept. 13 by James Wehr, 27, the co-founder of a popular Instagram page called South OC Cars and Coffee, when police said the car took off at a “high rate of speed”from a red light, skipped over a curb and struck a tree.
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Alexis Helena Kramer, 22, of Florida was a passenger in the high-performance car.
Police said the car split in two and caught fire during the collision. Wehr and Kramer died in the crash.
Irvine police on Saturday said the wreckage of the car was being stored in a secured tow facility in Costa Mesa that is often contracted by police to store damaged vehicles. On Wednesday — 31 days later— the front section of the vehicle appeared to spontaneously catch on fire, authorities said.
Security video of the facility, released by police, shows a small flame suddenly appearing in the dark room of the storage facility, eventually growing into a fire and filling the room with smoke.
Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, Irvine Police said in the statement. Police noted the crash had caused extensive damage to the car’s structure and electrical system.
Preliminary findings indicate no person was present or interacted with the wreck before it caught fire, police said.
Kyle Oldoerp , public information officer for the Irvine Police Department , noted that the fiery collision had already extensively damaged the vehicle, and said it was unclear whether the fire would impact the investigation into the fatal crash.
“We hope not,” Oldoerp said. “We’re still evaluating that. The vehicle broke apart and was heavily damaged already.”
Oldoerp said investigators were already in contact with McLaren officials and other experts about how to proceed in inspecting the wreck. He noted that investigators were taking into account that McLarens can be heavily modified when they are purchased.
Officials at Costa Mesa Fire Department did not immediately respond to questions as to whether other vehicles were damaged in the fire.
McLarens are high-end, performance sports cars known for their sleek designs and high speeds. Many models can reach 60 mph in under three seconds, and several of the models can reach top speeds over 200 mph. Standard models can be priced in the six figures, but the top-performing and collectible models are valued in the tens of millions of dollars.
Irvine’s Major Accident Investigation Team is continuing to investigate the circumstances behind the deadly crash, police said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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