Three people were killed Thursday when their sport utility vehicle crashed into a traffic pole and caught fire in Oceanside, authorities said.

The Mitsubishi Outlander was heading westbound on State Route 78 at about 2 p.m. when it veered off the road, went down an embankment, hit a fence and struck the pole on surface streets before bursting into flames, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe said.

CHP officers quickly arrived and doused the blaze. The male driver, another man and a woman were found dead in the SUV. They apparently died from the crash and not from the fire, Latulippe said.

There was no immediate word on the identities of the victims.