FOREST GROVE, Ore. -- A man died when his pickup truck crashed into a power pole near Forest Grove on Monday.

Fire officials said they found the driver dead and the power pole sheared off at its base after they were called to the crash just before 7 p.m.

Washington County deputies said Kevin Leader, 46, of Corvallis, was on a work assignment for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at the time his truck crashed.

Deputies said Leader failed to negotiate a curve, left the road and struck the pole.

Leader had been wearing a set belt and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to the sheriff's office.

David Nemeyer, a spokesman for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, said the crash ignited a small brush fire on Northwest Gales Creek Road, but crews quickly extinguished it.

Highway 8 was closed for three hours because of the crash.

Slideshow: Crash Photos From Forest Grove Fire & Rescue