Street racers crash into home and spark fire that kills pet cat, Oregon officials say

A crash caused by two drivers speed racing sparked a house fire in Oregon, officials said.

The two drivers — in a Honda Accord and Lexus 250 — were allegedly speed racing and were unable to stop their cars, Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday news release. They crashed into a home and started a fire, officials said.

“The Lexus crashed into the front of a home,” the sheriff’s office said. “The Honda then crashed into the garage of the house, hitting an SUV that was parked in the garage.”

The impact of the crash into the garage started the fire, and it “quickly spread to the house,” officials said.

Two people were inside the home, but were able to get out safely. A cat died in the fire, and a dog was taken to an animal hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the Honda, 23-year-old Andrez Velasquez, was arrested and booked on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, assault, criminal mischief and reckless endangering, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver of the Lexus, an unnamed 21-year-old, was seriously injured and had to be taken to the hospital, officials said. She was cited for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, criminal mischief and reckless endangering, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Street racers crash into home and spark fire that kills pet cat, Oregon officials say."