

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





A driver is in hospital with critical injuries after a vehicle struck a pole and burst into flames in the Corktown area early Sunday morning.

It happened on King Street East, near Parliament Street, at around 6:30 a.m.

Toronto police said the vehicle struck a light standard and the driver was initially trapped.

Images taken by a CP24 viewer at the scene showed the vehicle engulfed in flames.

Police said officers broke the windows to free the driver, who was then removed from the vehicle and taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.

The other occupants of the vehicle fled the scene, police said.

The charred wreckage of the black Nissan Altima remained at the scene later Sunday morning as police investigated the crash.

Officers are canvassing the area for surveillance footage to try to determine what happened.

There is no word so far on what caused the collision.