Chumash Casino bus combusts after fatal crash on Highway 101

June 26, 2026

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A wrong-way driver slammed into a Chumash Casino bus on Highway 101 north of Los Alamos early Friday morning, killing at least one person, injuring numerous others and resulting in a fire that destroyed the bus.

Shortly after 3 a.m., a driver was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes south of Palmer Road. The driver crashed head-on into the Chumash Casino bus that was carrying passengers, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Upon impact, the wrong-way driver’s vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. The fire spread to the bus, as well as to adjacent brush. 

All passengers managed to exit the bus before it caught on fire. Still, 14 individuals who were on the bus sustained minor injuries. Ambulances transported them to local hospitals. 

Officials have yet to disclose who died as a result of the collision. It is unclear how many individuals were in the wrong-way driver’s car. 

Authorities temporarily closed southbound Highway 101 in the area following the crash. Traffic was reduced to a single lane on the northbound side of the highway.