Maplewood cops pull man from burning car

A car is burning and you know it has a tank full of gasoline. Do you approach it?

Maplewood police officers Clint Abel and Jason Marino didn’t appear to have any qualms about heading for the flames Friday night at a crash at Larpenteur and White Bear avenues in St. Paul.

When each arrived, a car was on its side burning. They heard someone inside shouting for help.

According to a release from the Maplewood Police Department this afternoon:

With heavy smoke coming from the car Officers Clint Abel and Jason Marino ran to the roof side of the vehicle and saw a person raising his arms through the driver side window. Officers Abel and Marino each grabbed an arm of the man inside the car and pulled the man from the car.

Once pulled from the vehicle officers noticed that the man’s pants were on fire. Using their gloved hands they patted out the flames and pulled the now semi conscious man to safety. The lone male occupant of the car had extensive injuries to his face and was burned over a major portion of his lower body.

The man’s identity and condition hasn’t been released.