1 Dead After Car Slams Tree, Catches Fire In Irvine

IRVINE, CA — A man died Saturday morning after the car he was driving in crashed into a tree and caught fire, authorities said.

Irvine Police officers were sent to Harvard Avenue near University Drive in Irvine at 4:05 a.m. Saturday morning in response to a single-vehicle traffic crash, police said.

When officers arrived, the found a black and silver Mercedes S550 sedan that crashed with a tree and was on fire. Orange County Fire Authority firefighters extinguished the fire, but the driver — and sole occupant of the car — did not survive.

His name was not immediately released by authorities.

The Irvine Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the cause of the crash, and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Joshua Balos at 949-724-7024.