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SAN DIEGO — Firefighters shared video Monday of bystanders rushing to rescue two people from a burning car on Interstate 8.
Lakeside Fire Protection District said its units responded to a car fire on I-8 westbound just east of Lake Jennings Monday night. Before firefighters got there, a passerby captured the tense moments when bystanders worked to rescue two elderly people from the burning car.
“Is somebody in there?” can be heard at the beginning of the video shot by Marie Macrorie. The footage shows flames engulfing the back of the car as one bystander starts pulling the driver to safety.
Another bystander worked to get the passenger out. Six to seven people are seen helping to move the pair, at one point even grabbing the driver by his arms and legs to get him out of harm’s way.
Flames ended up engulfing the entire vehicle, leaving behind a smoking, charred mess. Lakeside Fire said the fire also spread to nearby vegetation but they quickly got it under control.
The occupants of the car and a bystander were taken to the hospital with burns of undisclosed severity, according to firefighters.