Tragedy struck in Riverside County when a catastrophic multi-vehicle collision resulted in six fatalities and left four people hospitalized. The accident, which occurred at approximately 2:20 p.m. on Monday, also sparked a blaze that spirited firefighters battled alongside helpful citizens to contain. The collision happened at the intersection of Bridge Street and Gilman Springs Road, as confirmed by CBS Los Angeles.

On arrival, emergency services encountered four vehicles engulfed in flames, which had cruelly claimed the lives of six people, including two children and an adult in one car. "The exact cause of death for the other two victims is unknown, but all six patients were declared dead at the scene," as reported by KTLA. According to the same source, the crash was allegedly caused by a driver attempting to pass on the right shoulder and subsequently colliding head-on into oncoming traffic.

The Riverside County Fire Department, with aid from Cal Fire aircraft, managed to extinguish the resulting brush fire, which had spread to nearly four acres of the surrounding vegetation, in less than an hour. The four individuals hospitalized ranged from sustaining minor to serious injuries and were taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment, detailed in statements acquired by CBS Los Angeles.

While the flames have been tamed and hotspots doused, the community reels from the sudden loss. Road closures were necessary as Highway 79/Gilman Springs and Alessandro/Gilman Springs became scenes of investigation and clearing operations, though they have since reopened, as noted by FOX LA. Authorities continue to work diligently to determine the cascade of events that led to the harrowing incident, even as the burned stretch of Gilman Springs bears mute testimony to the sudden, violent breach in the ordinary passage of vehicles and lives.