Injuries, power outage in Wildcat Canyon Rd crash

A collision Tuesday morning closed Wildcat Canyon Road, where downed power lines started a fire, one vehicle flipped upside down and another went down a slope, the California Highway Patrol said.

The two drivers suffered minor injuries in the 6 a.m. crash and were taken to hospitals.

Witnesses reported that a gray sedan overturned onto its roof about a mile north of Willow Road. A second vehicle ended up about 100 feet over the side of the road.

One of the vehicles hit a power pole, and the live wires started a fire in the thick brush. Fire crews got the flames out before they spread very far, the CHP said. Power was knocked out to about 20 utility customers in the area.

The road was closed while firefighters and medics got the two drivers out of their wreckage and tow trucks removed the vehicles. The Nissan Altima sedan was removed from the left shoulder by about 7:30 a.m. but the second car was still in the gully until about 9 a.m.

By 10 a.m., the CHP and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. crews had opened one lane for use by alternating directions of traffic while repairs to the power pole were made. The second lane was expected to be closed for about 10 hours.