Death was likely instant for the driver of a sport utility vehicle that struck a concrete bridge on Ky. 101 at the Warren-Allen county line and burst into flames shortly after 7 a.m. today.

The Kentucky State Police are still trying to identify the person who was inside the vehicle, Trooper Brad Stevenson said. The fire is making identification difficult.

The vehicle had a Tennessee license plate, he said.

The Allen County Coroner’s Office pronounced the driver dead at 7:23 a.m., Stevenson said.

No information will be released until the person has been identified and next of kin can be notified, he said.

The vehicle struck the bridge hard enough to break off several large chunks of concrete.

The vehicle traveled off the right shoulder of the road, Allen County Sheriff Les Marsh said, and struck the bridge as it was traveling back toward the road.

It’s unknown why the vehicle left the road and struck the bridge, Stevenson said.

The fire started immediately after the accident, said Capt. Jim Potts from the Smiths Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

&#8220One of our guys was the first one on the scene. He tried to get (the person) out of the vehicle but couldn’t because the legs were pinned,” Potts said.

When the first firefighters arrived, before a fire truck arrived at the scene, the fire had not yet moved through the vehicle, he said.

The fire made everything inside the vehicle unrecognizable.

Allen County-Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department was the first to arrive with a truck, putting out the fire within minutes, Potts said.

&#8220They did a good job, but there’s only so much you can do when it’s fully involved like that,” Potts said.

Ky. 101 was closed at Porter Pike for several hours while the accident was cleared.