A Los Angeles brain surgeon who fought for almost a week to save a house on his street from a bushfire told the BBC he had spent 15 years preparing for such an event.
Malibu resident Dr. Chester Griffith, 62, defied evacuation orders to contain the flames from the Palisade Fire with the help of his son and neighbors until emergency responders arrived.
“I always knew there was going to be a fire at some point, but I didn’t know when,” Dr Griffiths told the BBC’s Today programme.
“We never imagined it would be this catastrophic and apocalyptic.”
Griffith said he completed brain surgery just hours before returning to the streets of Malibu last week to fight the fire, joined by his sons Chester Jnr and Colbert.
“Houses were falling like dominoes,” he said.
Fortunately, he and his neighbor, Clayton Colbert, developed a plan of action in the event of such a fire and had hoses available.
After connecting four hoses to a fire hydrant, Dr. Griffith and his son, Mr. Colbert, took up a position on a nearby roof, spraying water on the flames and using dirt to extinguish the embers on the ground.
“Embers were coming down on us for about 12 hours,” Dr Griffiths said.
The trio only joined firefighters for the final few days of the week-long ordeal because the fires in the Los Angeles area had left resources “so widely stretched.”
“(The fire department) thought they couldn’t save all the houses,” Dr Griffiths said.
He added that he “completely understands” why the fire brigade is too busy to help. “That’s why it’s so important to be trained and equipped ahead of time and have real support from the community.”
Fire crews in Los Angeles are still battling two large fires and two smaller fires as they brace for the possibility of greater destruction.
The Palisades Fire, burning between Santa Monica and Malibu west of the city, has destroyed more than 23,000 acres and is one of the most destructive fires in California history.
In the Eaton and Palisade fire areas, at least 24 people have died in the fire, 23 are missing, and more than 90,000 people are under evacuation orders.
The residents Prepare for further destruction Weather forecasts say winds fueling the blaze could reignite it.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said “emergency preparations” are being made for hurricane-force winds expected throughout Tuesday.
President Biden said rebuilding urban areas devastated by nearly a week of wildfires would cost tens of billions of dollars.
