A young View Royal man is dead following a single-vehicle crash early Tuesday morning in Saanich.

Around 2:30 a.m. the man, in his early 20s, lost control of his vehicle headed westbound on Gorge Road at Harriet Road, crossed the oncoming lanes and struck a hydro pole on the sidewalk.

"We were received a number of calls from neighbours who heard the accident," said Saanich police Staff Sgt. Todd Bryant.

Police arrived to the find the Chevy pick-up truck engulfed in flames. Officers used several fire extinguishers to fight the fire, but Saanich Fire Rescue was required to attend and subdue the flames. They were also needed to cut the man from the vehicle.

The man was transported unconscious to Victoria General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police were on scene until 7:30 a.m. Tuesday and have ruled out weather as having played a role in the crash.

"Investigators will be looking at speed (as a possible contributor)," Bryant said. "They'll do the best they can with the evidence available to recreate what happened because it was a single-occupant, single-vehicle crash. There were no witnesses."

kslavin@saanichnews.com