Resident Credited with Saving Neighbors’ Homes During Chimney Fire

Many families have been forced to evacuate from their homes because of the Chimney Fire. Some of them not knowing if their house is one of the many destroyed by the blaze.

For Cheryl and Daniel Pritchard their vacation home sits on a hillside above Lake Naciemiento.

They say they had to evacuate Sunday night and didn’t know if their home would still be there when they came back.

“It was very emotional. I already had my day of crying that day, and the next day I’m happy it’s standing and very thankful,” says Pritchard.

She says she’s grateful her home is still standing and is crediting her neighbor for that.

“Lou is our local hero here on the point because he saved this row of four houses, and came in here at a very dangerous time and fought it until the end,” she says.

Lou Wells lives near the Pritchards. He says he was in the area when the flames started to pick up. He then noticed the flames were coming his way and near a row of homes.

“I was able to keep the fire burning at the ridge away [from the homes] so they wouldn’t burn. That was my effort to fight the fire as it came over the ridge here,” he says.

He says the flames came within feet of the Pritchard’s home.

“The flames were up over these wires and it came down this side. You can see where it burned the back side. They had hoses here so I was able to run over here and put the fire out with their hoses,” he says.