A person is dead after the car they were driving collided with a tree before bursting into flames in Bay of Plenty this morning.
Inspector Peter Raynes, of the police northern communications centre, said the incident occurred on Thornton Rd, just north of Whakatane, about 6am.
The vehicle was engulfed in flames after it hit a tree head-on.
The driver, who was the only person in the car, was dead when emergency services arrived.
Firefighters had extinguished the flames and were assisting police with their investigation.
