TV Producer Teams Up with Neighbors to Use Garden Hoses to Save 7 Homes from Deadly Eaton Fire
Antonio Antonetti and others from his Altadena neighborhood took action as the wildfire approached their homes on Jan. 8
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty
A resident of Sinaloa Ave. tries to defend his home from nearby flames.A television producer and his neighbors saved seven homes in their Southern California neighborhood as the Eaton Fire bore down on them.
Antonio Antonetti, 66, and several of his neighbors sprang into action on Wednesday morning, Jan. 8, as the wildfire approached Altadena, according to NBC News.
Antonetti said he and other members of the group, which included a pair of brothers, used several garden hoses to soak the homes, including his own, and surrounding properties to keep the blaze at bay.
“I was raised to confront my problems, my fears,” he told NBC News. “I was not educated to fly away from fear, from pain, or from anything.”
Related: Man Who Lost Father and Brother in Eaton Fire Reveals Dad’s Last Words as Flames Closed In
One neighbor had encouraged Antonetti, an independent television producer who worked at the Spanish-language TV network Telemundo, to follow evacuation orders before the fire reached the neighborhood, according to NBC News. But he refused to flee.
“I’m going to stay and make sure you don’t lose your house, and I don’t lose my house,” Antonetti recalled saying.
Antonetti said he was called “out of my mind” for opting to stay behind and fight the fire but was eager to take action himself.
Related: Firefighter, Wife Break Down in Tears After Finding His Wedding Ring in Home Destroyed in Eaton Fire
“I don’t want to depend on the insurance companies,” he said, citing his Buddhist beliefs.
Antonetti and the others were able to save seven of the homes on their street. But all of the houses to the north and east, he said, “are all gone.”
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Though the group was able to save some homes, Antonetti still wished he could have done more.
“It hit me emotionally,” he told NBC News. “I wish I could’ve saved all their homes, you know?”
The Eaton Fire has burned 14,021 acres of land in Los Angeles County and is 84% contained as of Monday, Jan. 20, according to CalFire.
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