UPDATE: Defense Highway Reopened After Fatal Wreck

Updated (3:30 p.m.)—A 2.7-mile stretch of Defense Highway was openedto traffic after being closed for almost eight hours following a fatal wreck involving a vehicle striking an electrical pole, police said.

Speed may have been a contributing factor to the wreck, investigators said.

One man was killed after his vehicle struck the pole in Crownsville and engulfed his car in flames, according to police.

At 4 a.m. Monday, Anne Arundel County police responded to Defense Highway near Ridges Gateway. In that area, they found a single vehicle that had struck a pole, according to a police report.

Police said the occupant, who remains unidentified, was found deceased by the time authorities had arrived.

The wreck created a power outage for the area, according to the report.

Investigators from the county's Traffic Safety Unit are looking into the cause of the incident. Baltimore Gas and Electric worked to restore power to those affected by the outage.