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These Los Angeles firefighters lost their homes in the Eaton fire – Jobsmaa.com

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These men have dedicated their lives to keeping people's homes from burning down, but when the Eaton Fire arrived on their doorstep, even their decades of firefighting expertise were no match for its fury.

“I have never seen anything like it; “It's like fighting a tornado, but instead of water, it's flames,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jerry Puga described the fire that destroyed his Altadena home.

Now these Los Angeles firefighters find themselves in the same position as their Altadena neighbors — staring at a pile of smoldering rubble and wondering how to rebuild their lives from the ashes.

The Eaton fire destroyed the homes of at least four active LAFD members, one retired member and two members of the Pasadena Fire Department, and displaced at least 15 LAFD families, said Chris Stein, chief of Los Angeles Firefighters' Relief Assistance. At least three firefighters from the LA County Fire Department also lost their homes, said a representative of the LA County Firefighters' Benefits and Welfare Assistant.

Donation information for fundraisers organized by county and city firefighter associations and individual victim families

These are just a few of the heart-wrenching stories of lost homes and firefighters' history.

'I worry about getting hit by bullets'

When George Baxter retired after 30 years of fire service, he was convinced his firefighting days were behind him. That is, until the Eden Fire broke out last week, sending him on one last mission — to save his own home.

“I'm the only person who doesn't walk off my street,” said a recently retired LAFD firefighter. “But you know me, being a stubborn firefighter, I'm going to try to protect my property.”

From 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. the next day, Baxter stood in his yard armed with a garden hose and bravely battled one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

“My fence is on fire, my tree is on fire, my car tire is on fire,” he said. “So I run around like a chicken cutting off its head. As soon as I put out one fire, the next one starts.”

As he worked through the night, chaos unfolded around him. The house across the street caught fire and all the guns stashed inside started exploding.

“It felt like a war zone,” he said. “All the ammunition goes off and now I'm worried about getting hit by bullets.”

Showing his son-in-law, he begs Baxter to pipe up and admit defeat. Then he was taken to the hospital because his eyes were burned by the smoke and he lost his eyesight. When he came out of the emergency room hours later, his neighbor showed him photos of his dilapidated home.

“I burst into tears,” she said. “I can't believe my house of 30 years has been burnt down. It's like a bad dream.

'Raining Volcano'

Jerry Puga lives in the firemen's house. She is a 22-year veteran of the LAFD, her son Adrian is a probationary LAFD firefighter and her daughter's boyfriend, Sam Smiley, is also an LAFD firefighter. But even their combined expertise could not save Bucas's Altadena home.

Jerry Puga, his son Adrian Puga and his daughter's boyfriend Sam Smiley are LAFD firefighters.

Jerry Puga, left, his son, Adrian, and Puga's daughter's boyfriend, Sam Smiley, are all LAFD firefighters.

(Jerry Puga)

Puga recalled waking up at 3:30 a.m. on January 8 to the smell of smoke. He decided to go around the neighborhood to see what was going on and was shocked by the weather he saw.

“It was pelting rain – that's when I realized the wind was blowing in the right direction of my house,” he said. “It got to the point very quickly where I realized we didn't have a chance.”

He packed up his family and ran away. Hours later, his house was nothing but rubble. That reality was hard for Puga to wrap his head around.

“I went back every morning for two to three days thinking I was going to see different results,” he said. “I thought, well, maybe this isn't real, maybe this is a bad dream.”

'We're Broken'

Firefighter John Stullman has lived in the San Gabriel Valley his entire life, but after the Eaton Fire destroyed his home, he never thought he and his wife, Monica, would return.

“We're broke,” he said. “We're not going to back down from this. We're already looking at different cities.

The fire consumed the couple's most prized possessions — his wife's wedding ring and dress, Stullman and his father's Marine Corps ribbons, his grandfather's coin collection and family photos from the 1930s.

“I've consulted a lot of people about losing their homes, but getting one is a whole new ball game,” said Stullman, who has 25 years of firefighting experience in the Marine Corps and LAFD.

When the fire broke out, Stullman told Monica to evacuate, then stayed behind to protect his home. He was doing a decent job managing the volcanic cast until suddenly “everything blew up”.

His neighbors' houses were engulfed in flames, as were trees and transmission boxes.

He jumped into the car and ran down the street as the wind snapped the power lines and pinned the car against the wall. At the foot of the neighborhood, he stopped and pulled about 20 cars out of the fire zone.

“People were screaming, 'My house is over there,'” he said. “I told them, 'No it's gone, it's all gone'.”

He was reunited with his wife, who took him to hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and severe facial burns. He will recover, but his home will not change.

'Total disbelief'

James Clingmon is a probationary firefighter, but he's already seen one of the most destructive firestorms of his career. And it brought down his childhood home.

“My first reaction was absolute disbelief,” he said, describing the moment he discovered the house was gone. “My heart sank. It's one of those things you don't want to believe is true.

The fire destroyed three generations of family history and heirlooms.

Her grandmother raised three children in Altadena as a single mother who lived as an entrepreneur and seamstress who created some of the costumes for the original “Star Trek” television series.

It was her blood, sweat and tears that allowed the family to buy Clingmon's childhood home and his aunt's house, both of which burned to the ground in the Eaton fire.

Clingmon is still working in the aftermath, helping the overstretched LAFD respond to calls across the city.

“It still helps us serve people and see smiles on their faces,” he said. “People are so grateful and appreciative. They honk as we drive down the street.

The fire may have taken his family home, but it hasn't dampened his motivation.

“Seeing an event like this hammer home why I made the right decision to become a firefighter,” he said. “To help society.”

How to help firefighters affected by LA's wildfires

Here are links to the firefighters' GoFundMe accounts: BaxtersThe BukasThe StulmansThe The Clingmons. Additional donations may be made to Los Angeles Firefighters Relief Aid to rescue firefighters. Website and LA County Firefighters' Benefit and Welfare Assistants GoFundMe page.

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