Bystanders pulled crash victims out of burning vehicles on the Glenn Highway, police say

Police are thanking the good Samaritans who stopped to rescue people from their burning vehicles Thursday morning after a multi-vehicle collision on the southbound Glenn Highway.

The collision near the South Eagle River exit overpass closed the highway until about 9:30 a.m., according to an update posted Thursday by police. The Anchorage Fire Department arrived just before 8:30 a.m.

The accident involved six vehicles, Anchorage Police Department spokesman MJ Thim said. When patrol officers got to the scene just after 8:15 a.m., two of the vehicles were on fire, he said.

“We believe two vehicles were merging inbound from the South Eagle River exit, collided and it caused a domino effect. Two vehicles caught fire,” Thim wrote in an email. “Two adults were treated at the scene for minor injuries. I don’t know how many people were in each vehicle. They were all adults.”

At least two people stopped when they saw the fires and ran to the burning vehicles to pull the occupants out, Thim said.

“They possibly saved somebody’s life today,” Thim said. “The fact that we only had two minor injuries is probably a credit to the Good Samaritans.”

No information was available about who the two rescuers were. Neither was hurt while pulling people from the vehicles, Thim said.