An Army veteran who served in Afghanistan managed to save his family’s home from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles by employing tricks he gathered while weathering previous blazes in the state.
American Legion Commander Jim Cragg took action to prevent the destruction of his home after a brush fire came too close for comfort a few years ago, he told NBC News. In an effort to prepare himself for any future blazes, he had stocked up on run-of-the-mill yard sprinklers and hoses.
When the Palisades fire broke out and his area was ordered to evacuate, he dusted off the supplies he’d purchased. He set up the sprinklers in the yard and propped up the hoses on the roof, he said. After doing all he could, he and his family fled.
“I got trapped by the flames going down Sunset [Boulevard]. It was difficult. It was like Afghanistan-type difficult,” he told NBC.
The Craggs’ home sits on the bottom ledge of a hill with neighbors both above and below it. When the veteran returned to his home after the fire subsided, he could tell that the flames had crawled down the hill towards his house, but the sprinklers miraculously held it at bay.
His neighbors, however, weren’t as lucky.
“All my neighbors up across the top, their houses are gone,” Cragg said as he choked up.
Cragg returned once the water had been shut off to take further precautionary measures not just for his still-standing house, but the remnants of his neighbors’. With the help of a Marine friend, they started to pull water from a pool to douse his roof and the sides of his house, along with any others nearby that needed it.
“I just had to do it. I just had to be up there,” he said.
The Palisades fire has torn through upwards of 20,000 acres since last Tuesday, destroying thousands of homes and other buildings. The landscape is practically unrecognizable as the blaze continues to burn, with only 11% contained as strong winds start to return to LA.
“[First responders] are doing everything that they can, but it’s a warzone,” Cragg said.
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