SMOKEY POINT – An elderly woman suffered serious burns when her car exploded and caught fire Tuesday night at a rest stop along I-5 near Smokey Point.

Two men reportedly heard a loud pop at 8:51 p.m. and saw smoke and flames coming from a car parked at the southbound rest stop, Washington State Patrol spokesman Travis Shearer said.

The men ran over to the car and pulled the woman out of the Chevrolet Spark. She suffered major burns, and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was listed in serious condition.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

A firefighter sustained a minor injury to his hand from a burn, and was treated at a local hospital.

Neither of the men who rescued her was hurt, Shearer said.