Tehachapi News

Fast action stops fire from spreading

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Fast action by two Los Angeles City Volunteer Wildland Firefighters, are credited with preventing further damage to a garage on Vaquero St. in Golden Hills on Sunday afternoon.

James Gilley and Dustin Foor, both Golden Hills residents, were driving by when they saw smoke coming from a nearby homes garage. They pulled up and knocked on the front door to alert any persons who may have been in the home; finding no responce the men located a nearby garden hose and started to apply water to the fire.

Kern County Fire Capt. Bryan Brost, from Tehachapi Engine-12 had high praise for the men.

“When our engine arrived the two individuals were in a safe defensive position outside the garage door  applying water to both the flames and the unburned portion of the interior garage  effectively stopping the spread of the fire,” Brost said.

As the Volunteer firefighters were busy applying water, the homes owner, reported to be  Dwight Burgess, and who had been working in his backyard, entered the flaming garage through a rear door. Trying to put the fire out himself, he finally exited the garage after several shouts from the two volunteers warning him that it was too dangerous to be inside the flaming and smoke filled structure.

Kern County Fire Fighters from Tehachapi, Bear Valley and Keen quickly had the fire under control and the loss was held just to the garage area.

Kern Fire Battalion Chief Hall reported that the cause was, “A portable air compressor running inside the garage. Its exhaust was hot and set nearby material on fire which soon engulfed the south wall of the garage as well”. No injuries were reported.