1 dead after fiery truck crash near train tracks in S. San Francisco

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KTVU/BCN) - One person is dead after a fiery truck crash on Friday in South San Francisco. Shortly before 4 p.m., Daly City Fire Department responded to an accident where a speeding Dodge Ram pickup truck burst into flames after the crash near Union Pacific railroad tracks. The driver was killed, according to a railroad spokesman.

The crash occurred when the truck exited U.S. Highway 101 at 121 East Grand Avenue in South San Francisco at speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour, according to Union Pacific spokesman Francisco Castillo Jr.

The truck missed a turn as it came off the freeway and struck a fence and a large tree before coming to a rest sideways next to rail cars parked on the tracks, Castillo said.

The truck then burst into flames. The vehicle's driver was pronounced dead and the San Mateo County coroner's office has been called to the scene, Castillo said.

While the truck caught fire right next to the empty rail cars, which were being stored on the spur line, it did not actually hit them, Castillo said.

The incident did not directly block the tracks or affect traffic on nearby roads, Castillo said.

Officials with Caltrain, which shares the tracks with Union Pacific, said trains were traveling at reduced speeds through the area and reported delays of around 20 minutes.

Trains were cleared to return to travel at maximum speed again just before 6 p.m., Caltrain officials said.