by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

A fiery solo Tesla crash near Mills Avenue and Sixth Street in Claremont left two men dead early Monday.

Claremont Police Department officers responded at 2:08 a.m. following reports that a car had caught fire after colliding with a tree. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews arrived shortly thereafter and extinguished the blaze. The driver, Matthew McMahon, 38, and passenger, 52-year-old Rasheed Bledsoe, of Las Vegas, were subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.

“Due to the vehicle involved in the collision being an electric vehicle, LA County Health Haz Mat responded to assess and clean up the hazardous materials related to the battery,” wrote Claremont Public Information Officer Bevin Handel in an email.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.