Hood River County, OR : 3 injured after car crashes into tree, catches on fire on Interstate 84 near Cascade Locks on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016

Three people were injured after their car careened off Interstate 84 into a wooded ravine and caught on fire with a passenger still inside Thursday afternoon, Oregon State Police said.

Madeline Hanel, an 18-year-old from Parkdale, and her backseat passenger escaped the crash with minor injuries, state police spokesman Sgt. Kaipo Raiser said. The front seat passenger, who was trapped inside the car when it caught on fire, has serious injuries, Raiser said.

Police didn't identify the passengers, who were both men.

Hanel was driving a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer west on Interstate 84 near Cascade Locks when she crashed into the freeway's concrete median barrier while driving around a curve, Raiser said.

The SUV crossed both lanes of traffic, crashed through a guardrail and into the woods off the interstate, Raiser said. The SUV hit a large tree, which toppled onto the car.

Cascade Locks resident Ken Davis heard the crash and went into the ravine to help Hanel and the backseat passenger out of the SUV, but he couldn't get the other passenger out, Raiser said.

As the group waited for police to arrive, the Trailblazer caught fire, Raiser said. Davis put out the flames with fire extinguishers from passing drivers, he said.

Hanel and the backseat passenger were taken to a Portland area hospital for minor injuries, Raiser said. The front seat passenger was airlifted to a Portland area hospital with serious injuries.

Investigators believe that speed was a factor in the crash, Raiser said. One lane of Interstate 84 was closed near milepost 44 as police investigate, he said.

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3 injured after car crashes into tree, catches on fire