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Police officer extinguishes fire after witnessing crash in SLC; driver in critical condition

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SALT LAKE CITY -- A woman suffered critical injuries after her vehicle caught fire during a rollover crash in Salt Lake City early Wednesday.

Salt Lake City Police said the crash occurred in the area of 200 North and 600 West shortly after midnight.

The woman struck a barrier around a roundabout, sending her car airborne before it rolled several times and caught on fire.

A nearby police officer saw the crash, responded and put out the fire with an extinguisher.

Lt. Dave Cracroft of Salt Lake City Police said it was a stroke of luck the officer was near.

"Who knows if the fire would have engulfed the car completely, we just don't know, but, yeah: She was very lucky that the officer was nearby," Cracroft said.

Emergency responders used heavy machinery to extricate the woman from the damaged vehicle. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police said she may be the same woman who had fled from UTA Police earlier Tuesday.