Good Samaritans come to the rescue in Fairmount Fire
A fast-moving brushfire threatened homes in the Talmadge area, but firefighters, local residents, and Good Samaritans worked together to keep the flames at bay, preventing any serious damage to homes.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Firefighters continue to monitor hotspots after a fast-moving brushfire threatened homes in the Talmadge area. The Fairmount Fire burned approximately 40 acres along Montezuma Road, damaging several properties.
The fire came dangerously close to homes, as firefighters, along with local residents and a few Good Samaritans, worked to keep the flames at bay.
Cellphone video shot by brothers James and Louis Pendley shows them arriving at the scene on Lucille Drive. The Pendley's, who do not live in the neighborhood, said they headed to the fire after seeing smoke.
“It was just a massive plume of smoke,” said James Pendley.
The Pendley brothers arrived on Lucille Drive even before the fire engines.
“People were fleeing their homes, putting stuff in their cars. This was a real firestorm,” said Louis Pendley. He recalled seeing a woman sitting in her car visibly upset.
“She looked helpless, so we decided to stay and help as best we could,” Louis added.
The brothers quickly began battling the flames in backyards, grabbing garden hoses and dousing fences as the flames approached. Despite the extreme heat, they stayed to protect homes.
“There’s a moment where you have to do what you have to do,” said James Pendley. “It’s either stay and fight or watch the house get burned down. Six of us neighbors worked together, fighting this fire until we couldn’t anymore.”
Longtime resident Jim Metts, who has lived on Lucille Drive with his wife Kathy since 1968, also sprang into action with a garden hose, working to protect his property and also his neighbors. Metts credited his efforts to maintain defensible space around his home as a vital buffer.
“I’ve been conscientiously trimming back the brush down there. It was a good move,” Metts said.
Remarkably, no homes were seriously damaged. The following day, neighbors expressed gratitude to the Pendley brothers for their bravery. Sophie Karagianes, a resident who witnessed the brothers’ actions, stopped to thank them.
“I couldn’t be any prouder,” Karagianes said.
James Pendley added, “I’m just really happy we could do something about it together.”
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, which began near a homeless encampment.
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