Anne Heche told passers by she "wasn't doing real well" after her fiery car crash

Lynne Bernstein, who lives in nearby Venice with wife Natalie, told how he and neighbours Dave and Gabriel were able to talk to the 'Volcano' star after she drove "almost all the way through" a house and her car "almost immediately" caught fire.

Dave was able to get into the back of the car to speak with the driver.

Lynne told People magazine: "She responded that she wasn't doing real well.

"He actually talked to her briefly. Yeah, he asked her to raise her hand or something ... if she was okay and she said she couldn't."

The group did their best to free Anne from her vehicle and Lynne thinks if they had been able to do so before the fire brigade arrives "maybe she wouldn't be suffering the way she is now."

Noting that Gabriel tried to put out the fire while Dave tried to get Anne out, Lynne said: "We were having a hard time seeing and breathing.

"[Dave was] overcome by the smoke. So, he went to the back of the house to see if there was an alternative route, maybe we could get to her from the front of the vehicle. But the smoke, even on the backyard was pretty darn intense."

Lynne thinks the 'Vanished' actress is lucky to be alive.

He said: "We were just looking inside, going 'How could you survive that?' Because we had a hard time breathing even outside of the house.

"So, somebody was watching out over her, I guess. I mean, as seriously injured she may be."

Lynne Mishele, who owns the house destroyed in the accident, was "in shock" when she saw what had happened.

Her neighbour said: "I don't think she got what was going on. She said, 'What happened? What happened?'

"She was extremely fortunate. So were the dogs and her turtle."