Firefighters Casey Durham, Chris Dudley, and Captains Jared Turner and Bill South had just finished a shift for the McKinney Fire Department when they decided to hit the links for a round of golf.
It was the beginning of vacation for the four men, so they teed off at McKinney's Westridge Golf Club early Wednesday morning.
However, their game was interrupted when on the 7th hole, Dudley noticed smoke coming from an apartment near the green. Dudley told WFAA, "We're used to seeing smoke after we hit the golf ball. This smoke was a little further away."
The four men knew this smoke wasn't coming from a barbecue pit or grill, so they jumped into action immediately. Turner recalled, "(The smoke) kept getting blacker and darker, and pretty soon we're like, 'Oh, this might be a problem."
The firefighters dropped their clubs, picked up some nearby potted plants, and began filling them up with water from the kitchen sink. Turner said, "We took some empty flower pots and just formed an old school bucket brigade and throwing water on. Then it became a competition. We were trying to get it out before the engine company got there."
They were able to stop the fire, and because nobody was hurt, they continued on with their golf game.
For Turner, it was just something they knew they had to do. He said, "We have a duty to act, and we're always on duty. Even when we're off, we're still compelled to act. If we can help, we will."