Citizens donned their superhero capes to help neighbors and even strangers as authorities were overwhelmed by one of the most devastating natural disasters California has ever seen. Here are some examples of the best that human beings are capable of in crisis situations.
They rush to the neighbors’ roof to put out a palm tree
This good Samaritan named Tony intervened with a group of area residents to prevent a burning palm tree from consuming a nearby house as well as the entire street. They contacted the owners of the house, who were away, through the camera on their door. They were able to get a ladder and water hoses to contain the flames.
Screenshot provided by ABC
A palm tree burst into flames live in front of the ABC News camera, when a brand from the Sunset Fire, which was burning hundreds of meters away, landed in the foliage. Four residents of the area took their courage in both hands and rushed to the roof to save the house of neighbors on vacation. With a garden hose and a ladder, the four men managed to bring the emerging blaze under control after 40 minutes of furious combat.
Steve Guttenberg: a nice guy not only in the films
Actor Steve Guttenberg told CNN he helped firefighters move cars that were blocking the only escape route from Pacific Palisades.
Screenshot provided by CNN
Resident of the Pacific Palisades area, actor Steve Guttenberg assisted firefighters in the evacuation. This wooded neighborhood of approximately 1,000 residences has only one access road. Panicked at the sight of the approaching flames, dozens of citizens abandoned their cars in the middle of the road to flee on foot, causing a major traffic jam. The star of the film Police Academy told CNN that she had moved several cars to allow firefighters to pass to rescue those who remained trapped in their residence surrounded by fire.
Sunday firefighters try to save the only house still standing
Residents of Altadena, California, mobilized to hose down the yard and roof of the home of a woman named Gail to prevent the flames from the neighboring house from reaching her. The woman told CNN that she did not know the good Samaritans who came to her aid because the firefighters were overwhelmed.
Screenshot provided by CNN
A resident of Altadena, a community at the heart of the Eaton Fire, saw neighborhood members grab their garden hoses in a desperate attempt to keep the fire away from her home by spraying her yard and roof while all the surrounding houses had already been swallowed by flames. “I’m happy to see that the house is still standing, but I don’t have much hope,” the lady noted on CNN.
Stranger helps man and his father-in-law with Parkinson’s evacuate
Aaron Samson told CBS how he narrowly evacuated the Palisades neighborhood with his 83-year-old father-in-law, who has Parkinson’s and can barely move. A neighbor he didn’t know took them in his car.
Screenshot provided by CBS
Aaron Samson, a resident of Pacific Palisades without a car at his disposal, was able to count on the help of a complete stranger to evacuate with his 83-year-old father-in-law who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. The three men fled in a vehicle until the flames were so close to the car that they had to get out and finish the job on foot at the request of police. Mr. Samson highlighted, in an interview with CBS News, the herculean efforts to get to safety by his partner’s father, who can “barely move”, in addition to thanking their “savior”.
48-hour shifts without respite for emergency services
Firefighters spent more than 48 hours on the front lines battling the fire and evacuating the population of Pacific Palisades, the point of origin of the largest blaze still active in Los Angeles County.
Photo provided by MEGA/WENN
Firefighters and police officers took part in the massive evacuation and firefighting operation for more than 48 hours without interruption, according to what CNN was able to learn on the ground. Some have even lost their own homes in the various fires still raging in Los Angeles County, but “are working tirelessly until relief units arrive.” As rescuers struggle amid the flames and thick smoke, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed that more than 20 people had been arrested for theft in evacuated areas.
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