NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
A driver died after a Tesla careened into a light pole in San Mateo, Calif., on Tuesday, July 14<\/p>\n
Following the impact, the vehicle burst into flames<\/p>\n
An investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing<\/p>\n
A driver is dead after a Tesla crashed into a light pole and burst into flames.<\/p>\n
The frightening incident occurred on Tuesday, July 14, around 7:16 p.m. local time, when officers were dispatched to a single-vehicle collision near the 1900 block of Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo, Calif., the San Mateo Police Department said in a statement<\/a>. Officials were told that a vehicle had traveled through the intersection of Highway 92 and Alameda de las Pulgas before careening into a light pole.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following the crash, the vehicle caught fire, and the sole occupant was later pronounced dead, authorities said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We ask the public to avoid the area of Alameda De Las Pulgas, between Highway 92 and 20th Avenue and seek alternate routes while first responders and investigators continue their work,” the police department warned. “There is heavy, toxic smoke around the crash site.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The vehicle in question was a gray Tesla, according to California Highway Patrol logs reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesman for the San Mateo Police Department had no further information, and the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE.\u00a0<\/p>\n An investigation is ongoing, and officials said they will share further information as it becomes available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n The crash comes after other recent Tesla crashes, including a Texas grandmother who died after a Tesla allegedly driving on autopilot crashed into her home<\/a> last month. The driver has since been arrested and charged with arrested and charged with manslaughter<\/a>.<\/p>\n