Retired fire fighter Rich Snyder rescued a neighbour from his burning home when the wildfires spread to the Pasadena street he has lived on for over 30 years.
He told the BBC’s Helena Humphrey he was working on his laptop in the evening when he saw a huge fire through his window.
Mr Snyder quickly evacuated his home and warned his neighbours, before staying to battle the blaze with a garden hose.
With the help of a fire crew that was driving through the area with a van full of fire retardant, he managed to contain the flames.
In the end, two homes on the street burned down and a further one suffered roof damage.
