(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A Fort Carson soldier is being hailed as a hero by the Fountain Police Department (FPD) after he rescued an unconscious victim from a burning vehicle after a crash in June.

1st Lt. Jasmine Bloom with the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office at Fort Carson wrote in a recent article that on Monday, June 26, Staff Sergeant (SSG) Michael De La Rosa was driving on I-25 toward Garden of the Gods for one of his Soldiers’ reenlistment ceremonies at around 5:25 a.m. when he noticed the vehicle in front of him started to veer off the road toward a construction site.

According to the article, seconds later the vehicle hit construction equipment, and SSG De La Rosa immediately called 911, parked his vehicle, and approached the crash with another bystander. De La Rosa found an unconscious victim in the passenger seat and checked their pulse through a broken window.

The vehicle’s engine then burst into flames, and De La Rosa and the good Samaritan, unable to open the passenger door, broke through the driver’s side window and were able to pull the victim out just as the vehicle was engulfed in flames, according to the article.

The victim was airlifted to the hospital for their injuries and FPD sent a letter praising De La Rosa for his actions.

“If not for the actions of SSG De La Rosa, the driver of the vehicle would have succumbed to his injuries sustained and would have perished in the fire,” the letter read. “De La Rosa went above and beyond to save the life of another person he did not know. This shows his true character and the level of commitment he has made to his community and his country as a member of the United States Army.”

“Honestly, when I decided to act – I was more worried about the victim,” said De La Rosa. “I felt obligated to save a life because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew I could have done something but didn’t do anything.”

1st Lt. Jasmine Bloom with the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office at Fort Carson contributed to this article.