Three people were killed and another seriously injured when a Tesla Cybertruck crashed in California’s Bay Area in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

The vehicle was still burning when first responders arrived at the scene in Piedmont, a suburb east of Oakland, Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers said at a news conference.

Officers tried to fight the fire, “but the fire was too intense for the fire extinguishers to be effective,” he said. The Piedmont Fire Department then arrived and extinguished the fire.

“Tragically, this collision resulted in three people losing their lives. One person was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital,” Bowers added.

Police received an iPhone notification of the accident at 3:08 a.m. and two minutes later, when officers were already on scene, someone called 911, he said.

“Our women and men who answered this call did everything they could. And it is devastating. But the devastation pales in comparison to what these families are enduring this morning, the day before Thanksgiving,” he added.

Out of respect for the families, none of the victims or survivors have been identified, police said. NBC Bay Area reported that all four people in the vehicle were home from college on vacation. Flowers were left at the crime scene.

A nearby motorist who saw the burning car was able to reach the vehicle and rescue the injured man, Bowers said.

Aileen DeSoto, a family friend of the man who was hospitalized, told NBC Bay Area he had surgery and is recovering.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation in collaboration with the California Highway Patrol, but Bowers said it is possible the victims were attending a local event. He added that “speed was a factor” in the accident and that the location was not a high risk area for road accidents.

Fire Chief Dave Brannigan said at the news conference that it was unlikely that the Cybertruck’s lithium battery caught fire because firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

He added that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Sandy Martin, who taught some of the victims in middle school, told NBC Bay Area: “This should not happen to any child. But knowing them only makes things worse.”

The city of Piedmont plans to continue its traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, a 3-mile run or walk, NBC Bay Area reported, adding that Mayor Jen Cavenaugh would offer remarks about the crash and a moment of silence.