DOVER, Fla. (AP) — The crash of a car by a driver with a suspended license sparked a fire that destroyed a home over the weekend, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

What You Need To Know

  • A car hit a tree and power pole while traveling on Highway 92 in Dover

  • When the power pole fell down, the power wires snapped

  • Those power lines sparked and ignited an unoccupied house

  • The car's driver was seriously injured in the incident

The car was traveling eastbound on Highway 92 in Hillsborough County, east of Tampa, when the driver lost control and crossed into westbound traffic on Saturday. The car then collided with a tree, hit a wooden utility pole and overturned in a ditch, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

After being hit, the utility pole fell over, pulling power wires from a nearby house that was unoccupied. The sparking wires ignited the house, which burned down. A nearby pickup truck also was damaged, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

“I was sitting on my porch and I heard a horrendous crash,” witness Evan Perron said. “I saw the flames on the grass, and it appeared to me that the roof was already smoldering."

The 31-year-old driver, who had serious injuries, was cited for careless driver and driving while his license was suspended. 

“I heard him screaming when they had to move him away from this fire because he was right at the sidewalk," Perron said.

The passenger suffered minor injuries, according to the report.