The incident occurred in the 13000 block of Magnolia Street around 1 a.m.
Police say the driver had just exited State Highway 22 and was traveling southbound on Magnolia Street when he lost control of his minivan.
It appears the driver suffered a heart attack, drifted out of the lane, collided with a utility pole, continued across the lawn and barreled into an apartment unit. The unit and the vehicle then caught on fire. The blaze extended in to the attic of the apartment unit.
After fleeing from the fire, one of the residents, identified as 22-year-old Jesus Dominguez, returned to check on the driver of the minivan. He is being credited for saving the driver's life after pulling him out of the burning minivan.
The driver, a 56-year-old male of Huntington Beach, was transported by ambulance to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. He did not suffer any injuries but was kept for observation.
Dominguez was given a Chief's Coin of Merit, which is a memento of appreciation that the Garden Grove Police Department awards to Good Samaritans.
"With the rapid spreading of the fire around the vehicle and in the building, there is no doubt that Mr. Dominguez saved the driver's life by pulling him out of the vehicle," Garden Grove police said in a press release.
One out of the four apartment units was deemed uninhabitable by the Building Inspector, leaving six residents, including Dominguez displaced. The three other apartments were found to be structurally sound.
Those displaced will receive assistance from the American Red Cross of Orange County.
Magnolia Street was closed for hours as Edison crews worked to repair the downed utility poles.
