While guarding his house from fire near San Jose, Kirn Gill could only watch as flames engulfed his neighbor’s home.
Gill and other neighbors tried everything at their disposal to save the property from what some people are calling the Corral Fire, using sprinklers to soak the area. However, his neighbor’s house was almost entirely burnt in the wildfire. The Curtiss family had lived in the home for 30 years and evacuated hours before disaster struck.
CalFire Battalion Chief Josh Silveira stressed that it is imperative to find somewhere safe for evacuees to go ahead of time, explaining how tough it becomes after being instructed not to stay at home anymore.
Despite the grim situation, Gill has no regrets about trying to save his neighbor’s home.
“Me and my crutch and my one leg, we did what we could,” says Gill. “I’m a local business owner and this is my community, this is our city.”
