CREST — An 18-year-old motorist died early Wednesday when the SUV he was driving veered off La Cresta Road in Crest, tumbled hundreds of feet down an embankment and caught fire, the California Highway Patrol said. The eastbound 2003 Ford Explorer crashed near Ranch Gate Road shortly before 12:30 a.m.

First responders initially thought the incident was a rubbish or vegetation fire, according to San Miguel Fire & Rescue. Crews proceeding down the slope found the burning vehicle with the body of the 18-year-old driver inside.

Sheriff's deputies used a drone to search the area for any other victims and found none. The driver's identity was withheld pending notification of family.

The crash left the roadway closed to through traffic near the crash site until about 4 a.m. The cause of the wreck was unclear.

"This is an ongoing investigation. It is unknown if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the crash," CHP public-affairs Officer Jasmine Lopez said in the late morning.

The crash occurred on La Cresta Road in Crest, a community in the unincorporated area east of San Diego. The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the collision, said the Explorer was traveling eastbound at the time it left the roadway. San Miguel Fire & Rescue personnel who responded to what they initially believed was a vegetation fire discovered the vehicle fully engulfed on the embankment below the road. The roadway near the crash site was closed to through traffic for several hours before reopening at approximately 4 a.m. Lopez said the investigation remained ongoing as of late Wednesday morning.