A fiery motorcycle crash on Highway 33 Sunday afternoon killed two men and injured four other people, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Two motorcyclists traveling in opposite directions died after crashing head on, starting a chain reaction with three other motorcycles, one of which caught fire. The dead men, whose names were not released, were from Simi Valley and Lancaster.
The crash, reported shortly before 12:30 p.m., occurred between Lockwood Valley Road and Pine Mountain summit. The rural area in the Los Padres National Forest, north of Ojai and west of Frazier Park, is popular for weekend rides. The incident closed down the roadway in both directions for a time.
Three of those injured were from Simi Valley and one was from Sun Valley.
Two groups of motorcyclist were traveling in opposite directions on the highway near Lockwood Valley Road. The lead motorcyclist of the riders traveling south, a 19-year-old man from Lancaster, lost control of his motorcycle while traveling at a high rate of speed, and crossed the double yellow line into the northbound lanes, according to the CHP.
The motorcyclist crashed head on into the lead motorcyclist of the other group, a 54-year-old man from Simi Valley. They were both killed.
A second northbound motorcyclist, a 61-year-old man from Simi Valley, lost control of his vehicle while avoiding the first collision. He suffered minor injuries, the CHP reported.
A second motorcyclist in the southbound lane lost control as he completed the right-hand turn and traveled into the northbound lanes where he collided with a motorcycle carrying two people. The 26-year-old Sun Valley man suffered major injuries; the driver and passenger of the other motorcycle, both of Simi Valley suffered moderate injuries, the CHP reported. The driver, a man, is 51 and his female passenger 43.
A third southbound motorcyclist lost control of his motorcycle and the roadway as he attempted to avoid another damaged motorcycle.
Four injured riders were flown out by helicopter, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash.
Because the crash occurred in a remote area, Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara County fire departments responded.