GROTON, Conn. (WTNH) — An off-duty police officer was part of a group of good Samaritans who helped two people involved in a fiery fuel tanker crash that killed one person on I-95 in Groton Friday.

According to state police, a passenger vehicle’s tire blew out, causing it to collide with a fuel tanker truck carrying home heating oil. The fuel tanker truck then crashed, flipped over and burst into flames.

The truck driver, 42-year-old Wallace Fauquet III of Stonington, did not survive the crash.

The crash happened right in front of Lt. Cornelius Rodgers from the New London Police Department. He was off-duty and returning home from the gym.

After witnessing the crash, Rodgers and a group of good Samiatrans raced to the car to rescue the two people inside, later identified as father and daughter.

The good Samaritans helped the woman out of the car while burning fuel was traveling down the bridge toward the vehicle. The woman told Rodgers her father was still trapped inside the back of the vehicle.

“It looked like hot lava coming towards you but it was moving quicker… She kept on saying save my dad, save my dad, so I went to the passenger side and as I saw the flames getting closer, I decided it was best to take him out of the vehicle,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers and another man pulled the trapped victim to safety.

Rodgers said there were about half a dozen good Samaritans who left their vehicles and rushed to help others. Rodgers said it was the best of humanity coming out of a tragic accident.

“I will hold onto this foreverit’s’s one of the most important moments of my life. To see people just come together and help someone, that will never know, but we just want to do good,” Rodgers said.