In a video posted to Twitter, Luis Gonzalez can be seen helping to pull a woman out of a burning car in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Gonzalez was driving with two friends when two other vehicles collided head-on.
He told media outlets it was a "pretty scary incident" but that he "just reacted" to get the dazed and groggy woman out of her car and to safety as quickly as he could.
Gonzalez played with the Astros from 1990-1994.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.