Jesse Spencer plays a heroic firefighter on Chicago Fire, and now that role seems to have spilled into his off-screen life as well.

In fact, reports The Chicago Sun-Times, the former House hunk recently proved his mettle when he came to the rescue after he and several others became trapped in an elevator.

While touring the Illinois State Capitol building with his parents (who were in Chicago visiting from Australia), they were among a group of about 30 tourists who found themselves trapped when the elevator abruptly stopped. As time passed and people started to panic, Jesse eventually sprang into action.

“People started to freak out,”; Jesse told The Chicago Sun Times, noting the were in the elevator for about 45 minutes. “It was getting so hot. It’s claustrophobic. One poor girl had a fear of being trapped in elevators.”;

Unable to get a cell phone signal, someone used the elevator’s emergency phone to alert a guard, who immediately called an elevator mechanic. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, they were told it would probably be several hours before the mechanic would arrive.

ET CANADA ON THE SET OF CHICAGO FIRE

Jesse, who plays Lt. Matt Casey on the hit drama, was wearing a Chicago Fire baseball cap, and several people mistook him for an actual firefighter.

“That’s why I had to do something,” he said, laughing. “Eventually I managed to get the doors open so we could get air in,” and he wound up prying open the doors with his bare hands. “Once we got the doors opened it relieved the tension,”; he added. “I took turns getting people that were freaking out over near the door. I didn’t want them sticking their heads out in case the elevator took off again.”;

Finally, one woman was able to get a weak cell phone signal and called the Springfield Fire Department, with firefighters arriving about 10 minutes later. “We would have been stuck there for a long time if she hadn’t got reception,” said Jesse.

Unfortunately, Jesse and his parents never did get to finish their tour of the historic 19th-century building. “I’ll have to go back and do the tour,” he said, but added that next time, “I’ll probably take the stairs.”