The parts of Altadena that did not burn were saved by residents with their own hands: ‘I’ve worked all my life for this, and to lose it all in one night? I’m going to fight’
Three ordinary men whose homes were threatened by the Eaton Fire decided to ignore evacuation orders and stay put to save their homes and those of others neighbors. These are the stories of Paul Mendez, Gregory Dane and Shane Jordan
They are ordinary men. Blacksmiths, fathers, husbands, retirees, musicians. Regular guys who were at home when the wind started to blow and the embers began to fly like burning bullets through the streets of their neighborhoods. Paul Mendez, Shane Jordan and Gregory Dane do not know each other, and their stories are different, yet similar: due to different circumstances, they decided to stay put in Altadena, one of the places most badly affected by the Los Angeles fires, and try to save their homes, but also, as far as possible, those of their neighbors. They claim that they did not put their lives in danger, but that is not the case. They took a risk and, luckily, they won. Others were not so fortunate.
