AURORA, Colo. -- A Denver man who was burned over 60 percent of his body will likely face 20 surgeries in the next two or three months.

Timber Dick, son of former Lt. Gov. Nancy Dick, was westbound on Interstate 70 near Floyd Hill on Saturday when the right front wheel on his minivan locked up.

The van hit a guard rail, flipped over and rolled several times before bursting into flames.

"I looked up and saw the minivan start to careen down the hillside," said witness Scott Boylan. "I yelled, 'Oh my God.'"

Boylan was returning from a trip to the mountains with his friend Andrew Rosenberg.

"I grabbed the fire extinguisher I had in my car, sprinted over to him and extinguished the flames," Rosenberg said.

On Thursday, Dick's family members publicly thanked the two men for their life-saving efforts.

"We cannot express adequate thanks for the gift you have given us," said the victim's wife, Annette Lantos Tillemann-Dick.

Both she and the victim's mom said their loved one is alive only because another motorist had a big fire extinguisher in his car.

"It was a godsend they had it," Nancy Dick said.

Both women said the two men are heroes. But the men told 7NEWS they didn't feel like heroes.

"He saved his own life really," Rosenberg said.

Boylan said the flames were so intense there was no way they could get into the car. He noted that the victim had the strength to crawl out of the burning wreckage on his own, through a broken window.

"We couldn't have done anything if he hadn't made that first step," Rosenberg said.

"We feel that Timber is the hero in all this," Boylan added. "We happened to be at the right place and the right time with the right equipment."

"They're exactly what you think of as heroes, aren't they?" asked Tillemann-Dick. "They're very humble."

Both men said they are amazed at how calm Dick remained through the entire ordeal.

"We were blown away by his strength," Boylan said.

"My husband is an incredible guy," Tillemann-Dick added.

Doctors at University of Colorado hospital said Dick will likely remain in their care for two or three months.

"He will easily leave this hospital... after undergoing 20 surgeries," said Dr. Gordon Lindberg, director of the hospital's burn unit. "Then there will be reconstructive surgery that needs to be done after he leaves the hospital."

Lindberg said the burns have affected everything in the victim's body -- "the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, digestive tract, everything is affected."

The doctor said they've had to cut slits in the victim's skin, which has hardened like leather. He said those slits help relieve pressure and allow blood to circulate to the hands and feet.

Lindberg said Dick isn't out of danger yet.

"He is still susceptible to infection, but he should be able to return to full function," his doctor said.

The victim's mom noted that she sponsored Colorado's organ donation bill when she served in the Legislature.

"I did it in honor of Howard Dick. Little did I know that it would circle back to help my son."