LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Anthony Thomas helped pull a man from a burning car.

The 2001 rookie of the year was on his way to visit teammate David Terrell late Sunday when he saw a smoldering car on the road.

"The car was smoking at first, but it wasn't really on fire,'' Thomas said. "But when I got there and I pulled over, it sounded like, 'Boom,' and then a tire popped and a big fire blew out.

"When you see a car fire you never know if it's going to blow up or not. So the main thing, I was trying to get the guy away from the car and get me and my wife away from the car.''

No one was injured. The Bears had a bye Sunday and play Detroit this week.

"Good time to have a bye week, I guess,'' Bears coach Dick Jauron said. "I'm glad I gave him the time off. He was in the right place at the right time.

"It doesn't surprise me. He's really a solid person. That's a great story.''

The driver of the car was identified as Mark A. Moore, 33, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday. According to the newspaper, Moore was arrested and charged with DUI, driving with a suspended license and being an uninsured motorist.

Moore refused a Breathalyzer test and fell down while speaking with Lake County deputy sheriff Bill Werner, an arresting officer, before he was transported to the Lake County Jail in Waukegan, the newspaper said. The fire was not the result of an accident and appeared to start in the engine compartment, fire and police officials told the Sun-Times.

After Terrell found out what happened, he was quick to tell the tale at Halas Hall on Monday.

"We've got a superhero on the team now,'' Terrell said.