Being a quick thinker is part of the job for firefighters. In an emergency, they have to figure out the speediest and safest way to act, which sometimes includes improvising with the things at hand. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy knows this all too well. He is now making headlines for saving two homes with milk and a couple of beers during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California.
Although Altadena is out of Fennessy’s jurisdiction, the fire chief grew up in the area and still had family and friends there. When he couldn’t reach his brother, Fennessy decided to drive over to Altadena himself. On his way there, he learned that he and his family had been safely evacuated, but since he had already made the trip, Fennessy figured he might as well take a look. “I was already up there and I thought, well I could at least go check on his house,” the fire chief recalls in an interview with KABC.
For all his 50 years of experience as a firefighter, Fennessy couldn’t believe his eyes at the sight of the wreckage. “I have not seen anything like this where you drive for miles and miles, and there’s massive destruction,” Fennessy says. When he reached his brother’s street, his home as well as a neighbor’s house were still standing, but he feared the flames were getting too close, as other nearby homes were already burning down.
Even more worrisome, a gas meter on the neighbor’s house was already melting, surrounded by fire and about to ignite—but there was no one but him around to do something. “We tell everybody call 911 and we’ll be there. This was a situation (where) you call 911, it’s unlikely we were gonna be there,” Fennessy says. Thinking he had to cool the gas meter down, he looked for a hose, but there was no water.
Exploring his options, Fennessy forced his entry through the front door of one of the homes and went into the kitchen looking for bottled water or anything that he could use. “I ended up finding a carton of milk and I think a couple of beers or sodas, whatever the heck they were,” he explained while speaking to 60 minutes. “To do nothing, means the home’s going to be lost, and in this case, you know, a little bit of milk and a couple beers really saved the day.”
While Fennessy wasn’t sure if the fire threat was going to rekindle, it was enough to save both homes, which are now the only two houses still standing on the block. Although the fire chief has said he only did what he could as a trained firefighter, he thinks he’s also getting a lot of credit for what was sheer luck in terms of timing and resources. “We’re fixers. We’re going to put our lives on the line. We’re gonna give a lot to save a lot,” Fennessy says.
Watch Fennessy recount this unusual yet heroic effort below.
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy saved two homes during the Eaton Fire with milk and and a couple of beers.
“We’re fixers. We’re going to put our lives on the line. We’re gonna give a lot to save a lot.”
Sources: Orange County fire chief uses milk and beer to save two homes from Eaton Fire; Families, firefighters in shock as California wildfires continue | 60 Minutes
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