Authorities ask for help in case of severely burned woman

Authorities are looking for information related to a suspicious vehicle fire in Aliso Viejo that left a woman with burns on more than half of her body.

The woman was driving on the San Joaquin Hills toll road, the 73, near the Glenwood Drive exit about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday when she suddenly pulled over to the dirt shoulder because her car was on fire, said Officer Aaron Rothberg of the California Highway Patrol.

Engulfed in flames, the woman ran along the shoulder. A good Samaritan driving by saw her, stopped and helped douse the flames.

The woman, a Costa Mesa resident described as being in her 50s, is hospitalized in Santa Ana, where she is being treated for severe burns.

How the fire started remains a mystery, Rothberg said.

The woman was not involved in a crash, so the CHP is looking into whether there were issues with her engine or whether something else happened inside the car, he said.

“It’s very suspicious in nature,” Rothberg said.

Anyone with details about the crash is urged to call the CHP San Juan Capistrano office at (949) 487-4000.

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