An Illinois firefighter battled a house fire by himself for about 35 minutes early Thursday.
Dontay Brooks told KTVI reporters he worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the home next door, and was worried about the occupant of the house.
Until last year, Brooks was a paid firefighter in Washington Park. He said he didn't hesitate to do what he could to quell the flames.
He said times are tough, and it takes a while for mutual aid companies to respond to calls.
A police officer tried to wake the woman in the house next door, but got no answer. She finally woke up when firefighters started spraying water on her house.
No one was injured.
