Good Samaritans rescue man from burning vehicle in Mount Prospect

An unidentified man who was rescued from a burning car at a Mount Prospect car wash Wednesday by good Samaritans suffered severe injuries in the blaze, fire officials said.

Mount Prospect Fire Chief John Dolan said firefighters were called to the 2000 block of South Elmhurst Road just before 11 a.m. to find a 1970s Mercedes engulfed in flames. The fire was out within minutes of their arrival.

The driver had already been removed. Three bystanders carried him away from his car, which was parked in the self-service area of the Auto Service Mall near America's Best Car Wash. Paramedics took the driver to a hospital. His current condition is unknown.

The blaze was contained to the car, which is likely totaled, Dolan said. There was no damage to the building, which was about 10 feet away.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but appears to be accidental, the fire chief added.

Doris Charewicz, who has lived across the street from the car wash since 1985, said she didn't think much of the "big loud boom" she heard at first.

"But when I looked back, I saw the car was on fire and a man was on the ground," she said. "I saw two men talking to the gentleman, and they moved him out of the way."

Charewicz said "a couple little booms" followed after the driver was moved. She said it's not the first fire there, but certainly the "biggest fire I've ever seen."