A stolen vehicle that was involved in a high-speed chase on Highway 407 on Friday night was set ablaze underneath a bridge in Mississauga sometime Saturday morning, police say.

Residents said they heard the sound of a car alarm going off around 7 a.m. in the Meadowvale area.

“A lot of smoke,” said area resident Cecile Palomares. “It was a very thick smoke coming from under the bridge. There was an explosion that I heard. It was loud.”

“You know, these things happen. (It was) like an explosion,” another area resident told CTV Toronto.

Officers located the vehicle, which was fully engulfed in flames underneath a bridge near Glen Erin Drive and Meadowvale Town Centre Circle, Gibbs said.

The previous night, officers at 22 Division on Hurontario Street in Brampton noticed a vehicle in their parking lot while reviewing security camera feeds at around 9:30 p.m.

For a reason that is not yet clear, police decided to run the vehicle’s licence plate. According to Gibbs, the white Durango had been previously stolen from a rental agency at Pearson International Airport.

It was also discovered that the vehicle had been involved in several gas-and-dash thefts across the GTA.

According to Const. Rachel Gibbs, officers then went outside and approached the vehicle but when they got close; its driver stepped on the gas and drove at them.

Police in turn fired one shot at the vehicle before it was able to speed away, Gibbs said.

A total of six police cruisers pursued the vehicle along westbound Highway 407; however Gibbs said that the chase was eventually called off due to concerns over safety.

Police are continuing to look for a single male suspect, who was last seen wearing a blue vest.

Gibbs said that it remains unclear why the vehicle was parked outside a police station in the first place.

“I can’t speculate as to why someone would do something like that,” Gibbs said. “That is part of the investigation at this point.”

According to Gibbs, police will be reviewing surveillance camera footage from the 22 Division parking lot in the hopes that it will help them identify the suspect.

Forensic officers will also be examining the burned out vehicle for possible evidence.