the longer it is delayed the worse the fire will be. >> reporter: rick reyes got his extinguisher working, but right here took his eyes off of the fire, a big no-no, as his wife millie struggled with hers. >> it was kind of stressful. thinking what is she doing. what am i supposed to do? >> reporter: ideally one person should call 911 while the other mans the fire extinguisher. to use it correctly, remember the acronym p.a.s.s. i will try out the p.a.s.s. method. i am pulling the pin, aiming, squeezing the trigger, sweeping side to side, and sure enough success. but the best fire extinguisher technique you can learn is when not to use one. if the fire is past the very beginning stages and getting bigger, you should get out while you can. elizabeth leamy, abc news, new jersey. >> for the personal safety of the overnight crew the we have one here.