PORT ORCHARD — A small aircraft unable to make a landing on a private airstrip near Southeast Mullenix Road in South Kitsap crashed near a private home Wednesday afternoon and caught fire, resulting in critical injuries for the pilot.

South Kitsap Fire and Rescue officials reported Wednesday evening that the pilot initially was trapped inside the plane as it caught on fire. The agency said the fire was extinguished and the pilot extricated from inside the plane.

Fire units from South Kitsap Fire and Rescue headed to the location with their sirens blazing. An Airlift Northwest helicopter transported the pilot Harborview Medical Center according to the fire district.

SKFR thanked citizen rescuers “who kept the fire in check until the first units arrived.”

The pilot, who has not yet been identified, remains in critical condition.