Five die in fiery head-on wreck on Hwy 120 near Yosemite National Park

Five people were killed and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash near Groveland west of Yosemite National Park on Saturday evening, the CHP said. Five people were killed and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash near Groveland west of Yosemite National Park on Saturday evening, the CHP said. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Five die in fiery head-on wreck on Hwy 120 near Yosemite National Park 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Five people were killed and two others were injured after a sport utility vehicle from San Jose collided with another car, causing a fiery wreck near Groveland, a small community west of Yosemite National Park, California Highway Patrol officers said Sunday.

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 120 near Smith Station Road in Tuolumne County when a 2012 Mercedes SUV registered in San Jose and a 2012 Nissan Maxima out of Merced slammed head-on into each other, CHP officials said.

The Mercedes erupted into flames, which spread onto the side of the road in the Stanislaus National Forrest, CHP officials said.

The Nissan’s driver, a 22-year-old man from Merced, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, a 22-year-old woman, was airlifted to a nearby hospital, the CHP said.

The woman driving the Mercedes along with three of her female passengers died at the scene, the CHP said. A fourth passenger in the SUV, who suffered major injuries, was airlifted to a Modesto hospital.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire while authorities closed Highway 120 for several hours. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The names of the victims were not immediately released. Anyone who witnessed the wreck is urged to call the CHP’s Sonora office at (209) 984-3944.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky