1 dead after car crashes into U-Haul building in Kensington, sparking large fire, police say

One person is dead after a car crashed into a U-Haul building, sparking a large fire in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood Thursday morning, police said.

Authorities said the crash happened just after 5:15 a.m. at a U-Haul storage facility on 339 E Lehigh Ave, which sits directly next to the El. When firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle in the side of the building and a fire on the first floor. No employees were in the building at the time of the crash, police said.

The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The age and gender of the driver is unknown, police said.

Chopper 3 is overhead, where a vehicle could be seen lodged in the side of the building. The building sustained significant fire damage.

The fire was placed under control around 5:45 a.m., police said.

Parts of Lehigh Ave and Front Street are closed to traffic. The service on the El was not impacted by the fire, SEPTA said.

Police said L&I is on scene inspecting the integrity of the building.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.