A TV producer revealed that he and his neighbors used garden hoses to save approximately seven homes in their Southern California neighborhood from the Eaton Fire.
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While speaking to NBC News, TV producer Antonio Antonetti recalled how he and several of his neighbors acted quickly to protect their homes as the Eaton Fire approached Altadena, California, on Jan. 8. The group used several garden hoses to soak the homes to keep the blaze from destroying them.
“I was raised to confront my problems, my fears,” Antonetti explained. “I was not educated to fly away from fear, from pain, or from anything.”
Although one neighbor encouraged him to evacuate, Antonetti said he refused to leave his home.
“I’m going to stay and make sure you don’t lose your house, and I don’t lose my house,” Antonetti recalled telling the neighbor. He was criticized for his decision and deemed out of his mind. However, he was eager to take action against the wildfire himself.
“I don’t want to depend on the insurance companies,” he pointed out while referring to his Buddhist beliefs. While he and his neighbors were able to save seven houses on their street, all of the houses north and east of them “are all gone.”
Despite saving the homes, Antonetti admitted he wished he could have done more.
“It hit me emotionally,” he said. “I wish I could’ve saved all their homes, you know?”
The Eaton Fire erupted two weeks ago and reportedly burned 14,021 acres of land in Southern California. Cal Fire revealed that the blaze is 84 percent contained.
The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Officer confirmed that at least 27 people have died in the Eaton and Palisades Fires. It was revealed that 17 of those deaths were from the Eaton Fire.
A Southern California Teen Tearfully Reflects on the Destruction the Eaton Fire Caused
Meanwhile, a Southern California teen speaks out after the Eaton Fire destroyed her family’s home in Altadena.
“I was so scared that night and just like,” 19-year-old Kiara Beltran told ABC 7. “Seeing the fire getting closer and closer like we couldn’t even sleep. But we were so tired.”
Beltran said she, her parents, three sisters, and her dog fled their Altadena home with just the clothes they were wearing.
“We evacuated at 2 in the morning, and we didn’t pack,” she explained. “We did not get anything at all because we thought our house would be OK.”
Unfortunately, the Southern California family found out the next morning that the blaze obliterated their home and all their belongings.
“It just makes me so upset that everyone has lost their homes,” Beltran continued. “Like I’ve been so worried about everyone else.”
Beltran said her parents are sheltering at the Pasadena Convention Center while she and her sisters are staying with a relative. Her dog is at a nearby humane society.
“I really do want to be back together as a whole, like the six of us,” she added. “My sisters, my dog, like, I really do miss my dog.”