What led to fiery crash in North Myrtle Beach Sunday?

A crash that left five vehicles on fire and an exterior of a residence fire damaged started off as a hit and run, police said.

A North Myrtle Beach police officer watched as a driver ran off the road and hit a private property near 6th Avenue South and Ocean Boulevard about 4:19 a.m., according to the agency’s Facebook post.

Then, the driver fled sped off from the scene. That’s when the officer lost sight of the vehicle and notified other officers to be on the lookout, the post stated.

At some point, the driver wrecked the vehicle near North Ocean Boulevard and Spring Street. The driver ran off the road again and hit an electrical utility box and burst into flames, according to police.

After that, the vehicle drove down a driveway between two residences and hit a parked truck, went airborne, and ran into three more vehicles and golf carts before landing upside down.

Two of the vehicle’s passengers were hospitalized, police said. The remaining passengers received medical treatment. It is not clear how many people were in the vehicle.

A total of five vehicles and three golf carts caught fire.

North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue responded to the crash about 4:30 a.m. in the area of 1900 North Ocean Boulevard, according to the agency’s Facebook post.

The burning rental home and houses on either side were evacuated without their occupants sustaining injuries.

The house has fire damage on the outside, and some windows shattered. Fire crews ventilated any smoke that made it inside.

Santee Cooper workers were on scene due to a damaged transformer spilling mineral oil, which caused several homes to lose power.

It is not clear if the driver will face any charges.

This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.