Hero risks life to drag driver from burning car

A Perth man has risked his life to save a driver trapped in a burning car.

The vehicle had crashed in Girrawheen and burst into flames - and it took a brave stranger to save the life of its driver.

The sedan had come off Casserly Avenue and smashed into a tree around 9am on Tuesday morning - that's when witness Eli Mortimer rushed to the rescue.

"The car was on its side and I could hear him inside it, the front of the car was on fire," Eli told Seven News.

The fuel tank had ruptured, the car was covered in debris, and the flames were already taking hold.

"I managed to pull away enough of the trees to get the boot open, so I pulled him out through the boot," Eli said.

Emergency services were called - they say the driver would have died if it weren't for the actions of the brave stranger.

The car had taken out a tree and ploughed through a fence, ending up in a garden between a unit block and a school.

The fire from the car was so intense it scorched the trees above and forced the evacuation of two people from their unit.

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Police say the driver of the car hadn't been drinking, but the speed limit in the area is 50km/hr.

Given the damage done to the car, which had become airborne, police say they will be investigating if excessive speed was a factor.

The driver is recovering in hospital and, thanks to Eli, is in a stable condition.

But Eli says he is no hero.

"I think anyone else here would have done the same thing," he said.

"I was just in there first - so I got him out."