A wrong-way driver suffered major injuries in a fiery crash in Palo Alto early this morning, police said.

An officer spotted a vehicle driving north in southbound on Alma Street at about 2:55 a.m., according to Palo Alto police.

The vehicle apparently crossed multiple lanes and aimed for the police vehicle, which avoided a collision. The officer attempted to pursue the suspect, but the vehicle drove out of sight near Churchill Avenue, police said.

Responding officers said the suspect vehicle traveled at high toward a curve in the roadway near Hamilton Avenue, where the vehicle crashed through a guardrail and land on University Avenue, bursting into flames.

The driver, a 30-year-old Mountain View man, was pulled from the burning vehicle and firefighters extinguished the blaze.

The driver was taken to Stanford Medical Center to be treated for serious injuries.

A portion of University Avenue was closed to traffic until 9:45 a.m.