Seeing smoke while dining on a patio in Puerto Rico, Fitchburg Fire Chief Dante Swarez did what he usually does -- raced toward it.

"I spoke with the bartender. I asked him if everyone was out of the building. He confirmed that. He said that the fire was in the kitchen. Unfortunately, there was no sprinkler system or extinguishing system in the restaurant or in the kitchen, so we had to use just common extinguishers," the honeymooning Swarez told NBC Boston.

Sans gear, he grabbed an extinguisher and aimed it at the flames. And, he told the staff to go to adjoining restaruants to find more.

"The smoke just started getting thicker and heavier, and you could really start feeling the heat coming from the kitchen into the dining area."

"They lined them up, and as I used one, I'd come out of the kitchen, and the bartender I spoke with earlier was right there, just handing me another extinguisher."

At one point, he was afraid the fire would get into the vent system and spread through the roof. But he managed to stop it -- using eight extinguishers.

"Another concern we had was the fire department's response, and it did take them about 30 to 40 minutes to respond, unfortunately." 

Swarez, who was on his honeymoon, added: "I'm glad I could help somebody. That's all."