Cal Fire firefighter dies in car crash near Merced

MERCED, Calif. (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says a Cal Fire firefighter died in a car crash in Merced County.

California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Zuniga tells the Merced Sun Star that Capt. Stacy Hamilton was traveling alone early Saturday in a 2004 Subaru Outback when the car left the roadway and overturned at least once on a road in a remote area between Merced and the community of Snelling.

The crash was reported to the CHP at 2:20 a.m.

The Sun Star says Hamilton, a 49-year-old Fresno County resident, was wearing a seat belt. He was pronounced dead at the scene.