Dash cam footage captured the tense scene moments after the driver veered off a highway in St. Paul, Minnesota ... crashing into a light pole. As the flames started spreading, several passersby sprang into action, feverishly trying to free the driver, who was trapped inside.

As you can see, as many as 6 people gripped the car doors and tried to force them open -- they were pinned against a guardrail -- so the driver could get out.

They had the whole car rocking as the flames grew higher and higher -- but it was impossible to get the doors open wide enough for the driver to squeeze out.

Kadir Tolla, whose dash cam captured the scene, then grabbed a piece of discarded plastic from the highway, and tried to smash the window ... but even that didn't do the trick.

Just when it seemed like time was running out -- several small explosions were erupting from under the hood -- a highway worker arrived and managed to break the driver's window, and they pulled the driver out to safety.

Tolla tells FOX Minneapolis, the situation was one of the scariest moments of his life -- but he stopped to help because he realized it could easily have been him in that situation, and he hoped strangers would lend a hand if he ever needed it.