How a neurosurgeon saved his street from the fires that have devastated entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles
- Author, Ruth Comerford
- Author’s title, BBCNews
A Los Angeles neurosurgeon who fought for almost a week to save the houses on his street from a fire told the BBC that he spent 15 years preparing for such an event.
Dr. Chester Griffiths, 62, of Malibu, ignored evacuation orders and stayed to contain the flames of the Palisades Fire with the help of his son and a neighbor until emergency services could arrive.
“We had always known that one day there would be a fire, but we didn’t know when,” Griffiths told the BBC’s Today programme.
“We never imagined it would be so catastrophic and apocalyptic.”
Griffiths said he had finished performing surgery just hours before returning to his Malibu street last week to fight the fire.
“Houses were collapsing like dominoes,” he described.
Fortunately, he and his neighbor, Clayton Colbert, had made a fire action plan and had obtained hoses they could use.
Griffiths, his son and Colbert connected four hoses to water hydrants, spraying the flames from rooftops and using dirt to extinguish embers on the ground.
“Burning embers fell on us for about 12 hours,” explains Dr Griffiths.
Firefighters were only able to join the trio in the final days of their week-long odyssey because resources were “very scarce” due to the number of fires in the Los Angeles area.
“The (firefighters) felt that not all the houses could be saved,” said Griffiths, who also noted that he “completely understands” why the fire service was too busy to help them.
“That is why it is so important to train in advance, have equipment and have the support of the community,” he added.
Uncontrolled
Los Angeles fire crews continue to battle two large fires and two smaller ones and prepare for more destruction.
The Palisades Fire, which is burning between Santa Monica and Malibu in the western part of the city, has destroyed more than 9,000 hectares and is one of the most destructive in California history.
Residents expect more destruction to occur in the coming hours, as weather forecasts indicate that the winds that help fan the flames could once again increase.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said “urgent preparations” are being made for near-hurricane winds that were expected starting Tuesday.
President Biden said that rebuilding the areas of the city that burned during almost a week of fires will cost tens of billions of dollars.
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