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The incident took place in Brookfield around 3:15 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 26, on Route 7 northbound in the area of the Junction Road overpass.
Brookfield Volunteer firefighters and EMS were dispatched for a single-car accident with fire and entrapment, the department said on Facebook.
Paramedic Ambulance 18-1 was returning from Danbury Hospital from a medical call and was on the scene within one minute. Upon arrival, it found a car on fire with a bystander removing the injured driver, the department said.
The department said off-duty White Plains, New York firefighter, and Brookfield resident Nicholas Perri Jr. came upon the accident while headed home.
Without the protection of gear or a hose line, he gained access to the "well-involved" car and successfully removed the badly injured female driver as flames were entering the passenger compartment, the fire department said.
He carried the patient to EMS where she was treated and transported to Danbury Hospital.
Perri was treated on the scene for minor injuries and refused transport. The jacket he was wearing was burned from the fire, the department added.
"If not for the courageous actions of Mr. Perri, the operator would have burned to death in her vehicle," the department said. "His actions are a testament to him, the White Plains FD, and the fire service as a whole."
The Brookfield firefighters were on the scene for about 90 minutes.
The name of the victim was not released.
The crash is under investigation.
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