Four men were killed this morning when the driver of a BMW traveling at high speed on the northbound 710 Freeway in South Gate lost control of the vehicle and crashed into pole.

“We can confidently say that speed played a factor in this collision,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Lopez told reporters at the scene. “We have significant … skid marks indicating the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed just due to how long those skid marks are.”

The CHP received calls about 3:15 a.m. that a vehicle had crashed into a pole on the right side of the freeway near the Firestone Boulevard exit.

Firefighters responded and declared four people dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. All four victims had been riding in the BMW, which was wrapped around the pole.

Witnesses told the CHP vehicles were racing just before the crash, but it was unclear if street racing caused the accident, Lopez said.

The No. 3 and No. 4 lanes were closed for the investigation. The names of the victims were not immediately released.