Two bystanders pulled five people from a burning minivan on Interstate 495 in Andover Wednesday night, saving four lives before firefighters could even reach the scene.

Andover Fire Rescue credited the unnamed Good Samaritans in a social media post Friday, saying the two passing drivers stopped, got all five occupants out of a 2013 Chrysler Town and Country, and left before crews arrived. By the time firefighters got there, the minivan was fully engulfed in flames.

The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on I-495 northbound, just south of the I-93 interchange, involving the minivan and a 2009 Honda Civic. A 25-year-old Lawrence woman riding in the minivan was pronounced dead at the scene, Massachusetts State Police said; her identity hadn't been released as of Friday. The minivan's driver was taken to a Boston hospital with serious injuries, and three children also in the vehicle were transported to a Boston hospital as well, though their conditions weren't specified. The Civic's driver did not appear to be injured.

Andover Fire Rescue said the rescuers "set aside their own plans and put their own safety at risk for the sole purpose of helping a stranger in need," adding that bystanders who stop at accident scenes are "rarely given the recognition they truly deserve."

"Lives were saved because of your quick thinking and actions!" the department wrote.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police, with no timeline announced for when that review will wrap up.