Disc Golfers Credited With Putting Out Fire At Modesto Park

MODESTO (CBS13) - A group of disc golfers are being credited with putting out a fire at a Modesto park.

At around 8 p.m. Sunday, a group of seven disc golfers were finishing a round of disc golf at East La Loma Park when they spotted a fire in the brush on a hillside.

"I just said, 'hey, fire' and we sprung up out of our seats and took off toward the field," said Joshua Murray. His fellow disc golfer, Bradley Fulfer is still in awe at the quick response.

"It was the most amazing thing to see - nobody had second thoughts. Just, boom," Fulfer said.

The group, also known as Modesto Area Disc Golfers, immediately jumped into action by calling 9-1-1 and putting what little water they had on the flames.

Steve Gregg said they made the most progress by stomping out the fire.

"We just ran over there and started kicking it, stomping on it - trying to create a fire break and get the brush away," Gregg said. "There were a couple of times we all backed off thinking we were going to lose control."

The fire grew rapidly but thanks to the timely and courageous efforts of these disc golfers, much an area of the park, and most importantly, neighboring homes were not damaged. Modesto Fire Department crews arrived at the scene to find the fire fully extinguished.

The Modesto Fire Chief, Alan Ernst, called the group heroes.

"It was truly heroic," said Ernst. "Their quick actions helped mitigate a situation that could have been much, much worse."

The City of Modesto Parks Director, Laurie Smith, echoed the same sentiments.

"They were very instrumental in putting out the fire, saving the park and potentially saving some of the homes," Smith said.

Both Smith and Ernst are working together to make sure these unlikely heroes are honored at an upcoming city council meeting.

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• Modesto News