A driver was killed and a passenger was seriously injured early Christmas morning after their car struck a utility pole and caught fire from live power lines, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said a Pontiac Grand Prix was heading west on a service road on the 9600 block of North Sam Houston Parkway when the driver lost control. The car went over a curb and struck a pole, causing a power outage at Wilson Road near Humble, according to a post on X by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Power lines fell on the Pontiac, igniting a fire and hampering efforts by first responders to rescue the trapped occupants, said Deputy Austin Howard, a crash investigator with the sheriff's office.

Paramedics extricated a front-seat passenger who was severely burned, Howard said, but the driver didn't survive. The passenger was transported to a hospital.

Howard said it is unclear if speed or alcohol played a role in the crash. He noted that roads were wet after storms had swept through the Houston area. The Harris County Sheriff's Office Vehicular Crimes Division is investigating the case.