Off-duty fire captain springs into action after driver crashes into Mission Viejo nail salon, sparking large fire

Dramatic video shows the salon completely engulfed in flames after the crash.

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- An off-duty fire captain is being praised for his quick actions after a driver in an electric vehicle crashed into a Mission Viejo nail salon, sparking a large fire.

Dramatic video shows the salon completely engulfed in flames on Wednesday morning. It happened in the 24000 block of Alicia Parkway.

Off-duty Fire Captain Chris Chang with the Orange County Fire Authority jumped out of his car and rushed to rescue the driver and clear the building after witnessing the crash.

"Fortunately, there were bystanders with fire extinguishers, kind of knocked some of the initial flames down, and then helping assist, pull the lady out from the vehicle," Chang said. "And then from there, kind of sprung into action, I guess. Being off-duty, it's like, 'Well, alright, here we go.'"

Nearby firefighters who were responding to a different call then rushed to the scene and knocked down the fire before it could spread to the rest of the strip mall.

"It was a little surreal for sure, but I guess it's either right place, right time, or just a coincidence," Chang said.

Since he was off duty, Chang didn't have protective gear or oxygen, but that didn't stop him from jumping into action.