A 30-year Army veteran revealed the simple purchase that saved his home from the Los Angeles fires, as he described the damage from the blazes as ‘a warzone.’
Jim Cragg used cheap oscillating lawn sprinklers to stop the flames from engulfing his Palisades home.
‘After the last brush fire got close to us a couple of years ago, I bought these cheap sprinklers, the ones that wave back and forth, and bought hoses,’ Cragg told NBC News.
‘I had them ready, popped up on my roof, turned them on, sprayed down fire retardant on the side of my house, and I left, got out with my family.’
Cragg’s home is on a hillside, and he said as the flames rolled down the hill, the water from his sprinklers extinguished them – saving his neighbors’ homes below.
He told the news outlet as his family drove away, they got trapped by the flames and described the scene as a warzone.
‘It was difficult. I mean it’s like Afghanistan-type difficult,’ Cragg said. ‘Everyone up here is doing a great job. I’ve been talking with LAPD, LA Fire. They’re doing everything they can, but it’s a war zone.’
The father drove through his neighborhood and posted photos of the damage to Facebook.
Jim Cragg used cheap oscillating lawn sprinklers to stop the flames from engulfing his Palisades home
The father drove through his neighborhood and posted photos of the damage to Facebook
‘I’m used to this situation overseas; 30 years, I’ve been all around the world. I’ve seen what the world has to offer in its worst case, but my neighbors are not ready for this. My family is not ready for this,’ he said.
‘I’m thrilled that our house is standing. We have something to come back to, but this is a devastated neighborhood.’
Another man who fought off the wildfire ravaging Los Angeles with a garden hose in order to save his home said: ‘Some things in life are worth fighting for.’
John Carr, 65, ignored evacuation warnings to stay behind and save his inherited house his parents built in Palisades.
He leapt over fences, hurting a rib in the process, as the flames began to enter his rear garden and creep nearer to his home.
Carr grabbed his garden hose to extinguish the spot fires and stayed awake ‘all night and all day’ to stave off the blaze.
‘The house was built by my mother and father in 1960 and I lived here my whole life so there’s a lot of memories here. And I think I owed it to them as well to try my best to save it,’ the brave former pilot said.
‘Some things in life are worth fighting for, you know. If I were to lose this house, it would be very difficult to afford to build a new house, to pay the enormous property taxes they have here. What would I do?’
Another man who fought off the wildfire ravaging Los Angeles with a garden hose in order to save his home (pictured)
It’s in stark contrast to his neighbors’ homes that have been left nothing but a pile of ash and ruin
Firefighters have been working tirelessly since Tuesday to tame the infernos – before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
The Santa Ana winds that have fueled the fires are forecast to strengthen on Sunday and continue into next week, sparking fears of further devastation.
So far, the California fires have killed at least 16 people and wiped out an estimated 29,000 acres of land, 10,000 homes and other structures.
They have also caused around $57 billion in economic damage and forced 180,000 people to evacuate.
