FF Helps Save CA Home of Girlfriend's Parents after Long Shift

    Sept. 29, 2020
    After working for nearly three days, San Jose firefighter Grant Newnom rushed to Santa Rosa after his girlfriend called to say her parents' home was threatened by wildfires.

    A California firefighter who had finished a 60-hour shift rushed to help save the home of his girlfriend's parents, which was threatened by wildfires.

    San Jose firefighter Grant Newnom had been held over from his normal 48-hour shift, which started Friday, to help with fires erupting around the South Bay area and the state, KGO-TV reports. He had just wrapped up working 60 hours at around 9 p.m. Sunday  and was driving home to Napa when he received a call from his girlfriend about her parents in Santa Rosa.

    "As I was driving home, my girlfriend called and said that there was a fire that was threatening her parents' home," Newnom told KGO.

    With his gear still in his car, he rushed to Santa Rosa to see what help he could provide. As he drove, Newnow saw the devastation caused by wildfires raging through the area.

    "If it wasn't people's homes burning, you were hearing propane tanks going off and just seen large mushroom clouds go off at the same time," he told KGO.

    Flames were threatening the house of his girlfriend's parents when Newnom finally reached the residence. 

    "I drove straight up to their house, and I was just going to hang out and triage it," he KGO. "Basically move anything flammable away from it, cut down what trees I could."

    Newnom was joined by Santa Rosa's Engine 3. Together, they worked to keep the flames away from the house.

    "We all geared up and put down some hose lines. The fire front came up over the hill, and it was quite the battle- embers, high winds," Newnom told KGO. "The fire was crowning in the trees and spot fires 50-yards in front."

    The firefighters were ultimately able to save the house. And Newnom was thankful to all the help Engine 3 provided.

    "There's little minor accessory buildings that got burnt down, and they have a new—I'll call it landscaping of a moonscape. But I mean, it's there," he told KGO. "They were very fortunate that they had the egress that engine was looking for. Because a lot of those homes that are tucked up in there, it's very hard to get a full-sized fire engine all the way up in there to defend those homes."

    Newnow now is going to try to catch up on some much-needed rest.

    "I would feel bad if I didn't do anything," he told KGO. "And I can always catch up on sleep."