Battalion Chief Helps Neighbors Fight Tenaja Fire

Josh Ward, a Pasadena battalion chief, lives in Murrieta. He was off duty the day the Tenaja Fire was devouring everything in its path. There was fire and chaos everywhere. He into action along with his family. He put out the fire that was about to take down his neighbors’ homes. "They were trying to do the best they could to protect their home so I was fortunate enough to be here to help them out," says Ward. A helicopter made a drop seconds later. It was a really close call. Buddy Harrison who lives a street over fought too. "I started helping the firefighters put out the fires because the fires were all in the front yards and everything so I came back in the throws of hell at that point," says Harrison. They can’t believe every home was saved. "I am very amazed that really there was no damage to any homes as aggressive as the fire was," says Ward. "When I saw the flames three, four times higher than the house behind me, I thought that was really it," says Harrison. They’re grateful to those who risked everything to save their homes. Many are calling Ward a hero too. "I can’t say that it was any heroic measures I just happened to have a little more training than the average person here," says Ward. And the best part, the Ward family even gained a new family member, a kitten that ran from the fire into their garage for safety. "We ended up naming it Tenaja after the fire," says Ward.