JOLIET, Ill.-Faced with an aggressive grease fire on his stove, Gary Moore remembered advice from his high school debate team coach: Fight fire with fire. Without a moment's hesitation, the 32-year-old reached for the model F-560 FireMaster flame thrower he keeps under the kitchen sink.

"I guess it's just an expression," said Moore after assisting his two-bedroom house to ashes.

The home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Exacerbating the situation was a still flame-throwing Moore, intent on carrying out his new approach to firefighting.

The Fire Prevention and Safety Council says fire departments use water to squelch flames and advises the public to leave all firefighting to professionals. The council also considers flame-throwing counterproductive to putting out blazes.

Joliet Fire Chief Ted Wallman speculated the house burned close to 30 percent more quickly with Moore's help. "We probably could have saved the structure of the home, but with that guy shooting flames all over the place, we didn't really have much of a chance.

Hours after the blaze, Moore was still suffering the effects of smoke inhalation. The lesson is not lost on the newly homeless construction worker, however.

"If this gets just one person to not try putting out a fire with more fire, then I guess this can be a good thing," said Moore, hoping his hard-luck lesson will prevent future disasters of this kind.

Moore's reliance on old adages has made trouble for him in the past. Last year, he moved away from his wife on the premise that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and he has frequently injured his nose after putting it to a grindstone.

When asked if he thought he could get past this travesty and rebuild his life, Moore responded, "Well, you know, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."