Brian J. White seemingly stops fires and and off the small screen.

Chicago Fire has been lauded for its authenticity when it comes to firefighting. In comparison to other shows like, say, Fire Country, the NBC staple has made a point of trying to get things as accurate and realistic as possible.

We did not expect, however, to see a former Chicago Fire cast member actually stop a fire threat in real life. Brian J. White, who previously played Dallas Patterson on the firefighting drama, was one a handful of Los Angeles citizens who took down a suspected arsonist last week.

Brian J. White made a citizen’s arrest

White told Deadline that he was preparing to flee his Los Angeles home due to the L.A. wildfires, when he heard shouting nearby. He went outside to locate the source of the shouting, and found that a man named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva was trying to start a fire with a blowtorch.

“We were packing up, and all of a sudden, out front of our house, I hear screaming, ‘Put it down, put it down,'” the veteran actor recalled. “I thought somebody had a gun and my neighbor was in duress, so my daughter went and hid in the closet. I went running upstairs to go outside and help my neighbor.”

Sierra-Leyva was reportedly seen trying to start a fire using White’s trash, which contained sticks and leaves. Fortunately, other neighbors came forth and joined forces to restrain the suspected arsonist. “We backed the guy against our neighbor’s house that he was standing in front of, asking him why he was in the neighborhood,” White added.

White played Dallas Patterson on Chicago Fire

Ultimately, White and his neighbors decided to make a citizen’s arrest “We took him down, detained him, and waited for the police,” the Chicago Fire veteran added. “16 cruisers showed up within about seven minutes of us calling, and the rest is on the news.”

Brian J. White did not the most liked character on Chicago Fire. Dallas Patterson was brought in as a replacement for Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) in season 4, and butted heads with Severide as well as the other Firehouse 51 members. As time went on, though, Patterson improved his dynamics with the rest of the team, and even grew to be friendly with Chief Boden (Wallace Boden).

White’s stint on Chicago may have been short, but him actually taking steps to stop a suspected arsonist in real life is an addendum that admittedly boosts his firefighting cred. Worth keeping in mind next time you rewatch season 4!