An Orange County Fire Chief used milk and beer to save two homes from burning down after the California wildfires ravaged his childhood neighborhood,
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy, who grew up in Altadena, recalled telling his brother and friends not to worry after another wildfire initially sparked in Eaton Canyon, reported ABC7.
"I told them, 'You're fine.' That they have nothing to worry about," Fennessy said.
However, just hours later, the fire had reached his brother's neighborhood, forcing him and his family to evacuate their home and leave the town.
Chief Fennessy was horrified at the charred state of his old neighborhood, which had largely been engulfed in flames. Noticing that his brother's home and the neighboring residence were still intact, Fennessy forced his way into the home in an attempt to save it by cooling off the meter.
"I thought I'll check the refrigerator and all that was in there was some milk and a couple beers," the fire chief said. "Went back out and kind of ran back there and cooled it off and pulled it back a little bit."
Though he couldn't tell if the meter was completely out and he "wasn't sure if it was going to rekindle," Fennessy had done all he could to save the home at the moment.
However, his efforts were sufficient, and his brother's house, along with their neighbor's house, remained standing.
Fennessy believes the fires raging through the greater Los Angeles area could be "our new reality".
"This house-to-house, these urban conflagrations, we're going start seeing them more and more," he said.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as a result of the wildfires that have destroyed over 40,000 acres of land and burned down 12,300 structures.
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