Three people were killed early Friday in a crash and fire in East Los Angeles.

California Highway Patrol officers were called at 12:33 a.m. to South Herbert Avenue and East Olympic Boulevard, south of the Santa Ana (5) Freeway. They discovered a vehicle had crashed into a tree and caught fire.

Two victims were trapped inside the vehicle and Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters were called to free them. Debris, including a wheel, was widely scattered on the sidewalk and in the street.

The driver of a big rig stopped to try and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, authorities said. The driver was not at the scene when officers arrived.

The victims, two men and a woman, died at the scene. Details about their identities were not immediately available.

The crash is under investigation. It was not immediately clear whether any other vehicles were involved in the crash.