'Just in the nick of time': Bystanders save woman from burning car in Comox

Two people in the Comox Valley jumped into action and pulled a woman out of a burning vehicle over the weekend.

The chaotic scene unfolded in Comox on Saturday just moments after the woman's vehicle crashed into a pump at a gas station.

"Suddenly, we heard a crash, followed by some tires squealing, and then an even louder crash and bang," said witness Will Lewthwaite.

Lewthwaite lives in an apartment overlooking the station and witnessed the aftermath for a few moments before fleeing his building.

"We watched as a gas station attendant took a fire extinguisher to the car and then pulled the victim out of the car along with her dog," he said.

That attendant, and an employee of 19-Wing Comox who happened to be driving past the gas station at the moment of the crash, are credited with saving the woman.

Comox fire Chief Gord Schreiner says the pair pulled the woman out "just in the nick of time" and that the fire fully engulfed the car soon after.

"We're not sure what happened. It might have just been an operator error," said Schreiner.

"There were minor injuries to the driver, but they hit the pump very, very hard and knocked it right off the island," he said.

EXPLOSIVE FIRE

Firefighters from across the Comox Valley fought the blaze next to dangerous propane canisters that exploded throughout the battle.

"A huge amount of propane, probably 20 to 40 20-pound propane cylinders in front of the store where the cars would go to fill up gasoline," said Schreiner.

"Behind the store was a very large tank that they used for dispensing to the island itself," said the fire chief.

Esso worker Louise Kopp says the gas station was "fully stocked with propane" for the weekend.

She was supposed to be working at the gas station on Tuesday, but it has been destroyed.

"I don't believe it right now," she said. "I'm supposed to be working there."

Kopp says the woman who hit the pump is a regular customer at the gas station and her boss who leapt into action is a hero.

"He would have been working at the time and I'm not sure what happened altogether, but he managed to pull her out, from what my co-worker said, and the dog – Maggie," she said.

Because the fire included a threat of explosions, RCMP had started to evacuate an apartment complex located right next to the gas station. But that evacuation effort was cut short because a domestic disturbance unrelated to the fire suddenly started within the boundaries of the fire scene, adding to the already chaotic situation.

Restoration crews were back at the gas station Tuesday, though there was little left to restore.

It's not yet known if the gas station will be rebuilt, but customers who frequent the Esso say its destruction is a huge loss.