Pacific Palisades family fends off flames with their own firefighting equipment
When the Palisades Fire erupted on Tuesday, rapidly growing to torch nearly 20,000 acres and destroy more than 5,000 structures, one family jumped into action to save their home.
The Gollings — Evan, Gene and Patrick — used their own unique piece of firefighting equipment to fend of the flames as they crept dangerously close to their home. The device, a generator that sucks water from a pool or other water source and a sprinkler system capable of covering large spaces, also has a hose attached, allowing them the abilities to battle the fire using multiple tactics.
"This was my dad's idea," Patrick said of Gene. "He's been preaching about this forever. Anybody with a pool, they should have this. Have it ready."
They say that they had the equipment running for about five hours on Thursday, all the while running to check on the status of their friends and neighbors living close by.
"It must have protected our home," Patrick said. "Because everything around here is burnt, our home looks safe."
Video from the scene shows just that, with charred remains of vegetation just outside of the fence of the property, where nothing appears to have been damaged.
"Help yourself. But you need the right equipment," Gene said. "Get what you can get for the most efficient job. that's why we got this equipment."
Patrick says that firefighters that stopped by on Wednesday were glad to learn that the family had a pool pump, grateful to receive any help as they worked to battle the massive inferno.
