Firefighter pulls woman from fiery car

WARREN, R.I. (WPRI) -- An off-duty firefighter is being hailed a hero for pulling a woman from a burning car.

Patrick Rimoshytus approached the smoky scene on Market Street in Warren Wednesday around 2:30 p.m.

“I pulled over and saw that the tires were smoking so fast that they began to disintegrate into the car, and I happened to have some firefighting equipment with me,” said Rimoshytus.

An older woman had rear-ended the victim's car and seemed to be unconscious.

He also said he couldn't get her out of her seatbelt, so he went to grab a knife, but when he came back the woman was on fire.

“It was just the training and the natural reaction of a firefighter.”

By that time, there were police officers and other responders on the scene to help.

Rimoshytus was also burned trying to rescue the woman.

He received first and second degree burns, but he didn't talk about them when being interviewed by Eyewitness News, as he was more concerned about the condition of the woman.

She was taken to the hospital where she is being treated for severe burns.