Man recalls trying to save neighbor's house destroyed in Corral Fire
TRACY – One home has been deemed a total loss in the Corral Fire and one neighbor said he and another neighbor tried to save it.
The home sat on Bernard Drive and was destroyed on Saturday night.
Kirn Gill has lived on the same road for about four years. He said he got the notice Saturday night to evacuate but chose to stay.
"I was here to save what I worked hard for," Gill said.
He noticed around 9 p.m. on Saturday that his neighbor's house across the street was up in flames.
"We had everything we possibly could, the sprinklers and everything on, soaking everything we possibly could," Gill said.
He and another neighbor were trying to fight the fire and save their neighbor's home.
Gill said his neighbors had just evacuated a few hours before and now there is nothing left.
"We were in the thick of it. Couldn't breathe, couldn't see. The heat was intense burning your eyes, burning your eyebrows. It was intense," Gill said.
Josh Silveira, Battalion Chief for Cal Fire, said one of their top priorities was making sure that the people who evacuated, had somewhere to go.
"It's already a stressful situation when you're told you have to leave your house but not knowing where you're going to go when you do leave is huge," Silveira said.
Even in a stressful situation, you find a neighbor trying to help another neighbor.
"Me and my crutch and my one leg, we did what we could. I'm a local business owner and this is my community, this is our city," Gill said.
As of 6 a.m. Monday, the fire has burned 14,100 acres and is 75% contained.