If only everyone's neighbor could be a firefighter.

When a fire broke out on the deck of a southwest-side Bloomington home Thursday afternoon, the neighbor who spotted it called the fire department - and then dialed fire Capt. Dave Burke.

Reports idicate Burke lives across the street and was off duty at the time. He extinguished the blaze with a garden hose.

Fellow Capt. Jeff Emmert describes the damage as moderate. Firefighters left the scene after about 30 minutes.

Emmert says an investigation determined that the cause was spontaneous combustion of deck-staining materials.