Palatine police rescue man from burning car that crashed into building

Palatine police say officers acted quickly to rescue a man who suffered burn injuries after his car caught fire when it crashed into a vacant part of a mall on Dundee Road just before noon Friday.

Cmdr. William Nord said an investigation continued into what caused the 48-year-old man to drive south in the Deer Grove Centre parking lot and plow into the brick wall of the empty retail space near Petco.

Authorities said the driver was trapped in the burning 2015 Kia Soul and that officers were unable to immediately reach him because the car was embedded in the building. One of the officers obtained a tow strap from a witness, attached it to his squad car, hooked it to the flaming Kia and pulled it from the building.

After the man was pulled from the car, Palatine paramedics brought him to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

A significant hole could be seen in the building after the Kia Soul was removed.

Petco, Hobby Lobby, Five Below, T.J. Maxx, Home Goods, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Jersey Mike's Subs are among the center's tenants on Dundee just west of Rand Road.