An off-duty firefighter stopped what could have become a sizeable forest fire by extinguishing a barn fire that he encountered on his way home, a local fire station said Monday.

Lt. Han Jeong-hyeon of the Hwacheon Fire Station was driving home at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday when he saw smoke rising near a mountain in Sinbuk-eup of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The 42-year-old firefighter headed toward the site, where he found an senior man trying to extinguish a fire in his barn.

The elder man was struggling with the fire, as the garden hose he was using had low water pressure. Han instructed him to call the 119 fire emergency service while he attempted to put out the fire himself with two extinguishers he carries in his trunk, without any safety gear.

Han managed to extinguish the fire within nine minutes with some damages to the barn. The barn was adjacent to a mountain, meaning the flames could have spread to ignite a forest fire.

"I acted instinctively when I saw the smoke. I just did what I should have done as a fireman," Han said.