Driving just south of Waco Thursday, James Cook wasn't on duty.
“I was headed back from College Station where we did some training,” Cook said.
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WATCH HEREStill, when he saw smoke, the Decatur firefighter rushed to help.
Cook was behind a pickup when a problem with its wheel sent it skidding from the pavement and into the grass where it was quickly engulfed in flames.
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SIGN UP “As soon as she got to the grass with the sparks and that hot metal, it lit the grass on fire. She said by the time she got out and started getting the dogs out, the truck was already on fire,” he said.
From his city vehicle, Cook called 911.
By the time he got to the driver, she’d pulled herself and seven French bulldogs from the fiery truck.
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Cook helped transfer them into his own vehicle to escape the 105-degree weather as they waited for fire crews to arrive.
“It’s just what we do. I had emergency lights on the vehicle. I knew I was going to be able to help at least if nothing else, keep traffic off of what was going on,” Cook said.
“I think for me, I enjoy seeing my staff just care,” said Decatur Fire Chief Deroy Bennett.
Bennett said Cook’s actions represent the department’s mission to help people.
He also said the fact an incident of car trouble could burn an acre and a half of land in mere minutes speaks to the danger of current fire conditions.
“It’s just extremely dry conditions. You know, like today with the wind that's a little bit stronger, anytime we get a fire, it's just moving really fast,” he said.
With fires burning in nearby counties and burn bans in place for much of the state, Bennett said Decatur is staffing up.
“Earlier today, we were toned out for a vehicle fire, and we ran our engine and a brush truck right behind it. Because chances are, it’s setting the grass on fire on the side of the road and it's just going to run on us. So we're double stacking it just try to stay ahead of it,” said Bennett.
Cook said the driver and her dogs were uninjured.
