A MAN has been flown to Brisbane with critical injuries following a single vehicle roll over yesterday afternoon.

At about 8.30pm, emergency services were called to an accident on the Capricorn Highway, about five kilometres west of Emerald.

Preliminary investigations indicated the car rolled multiple times before catching on fire.

When emergency services arrived at the scene, they located two patients outside the vehicle.

The driver, a 37-year-old man from Emerald, was transported to Emerald Hospital in a stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

The passenger, a 24-year-old man from Blackall, was transported to Emerald Hospital in a critical condition with serious head injuries.

He was later airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

The highway was closed for about two hours following the accident.

The forensic crash unit will continue to investigate the incident.