A 70-year-old woman is dead after the SUV she was driving hit the back of a downtown Guelph plaza and caught fire Friday morning.

Police were called to the plaza at Norfolk Street and Commercial Street where several businesses including Market Fresh, Simply Wonderful Toys, Wine Rack and Janus Books are located. 

Staff reported an SUV had gone off the road, hit the back of the business and caught fire just before 10 a.m.

“Employees were able to extinguish the flames, but the business was briefly evacuated due to smoke,” police said in a release.

The woman was removed and taken to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.