With the recent wildfires sweeping across LA, many people have chosen to take a stand, including one brain surgeon who managed to fend off both the flames and looters, saving his neighborhood.
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62-year-old Chester Griffiths wasn't about to let his house be taken by looters and wildfire as he rushed back to his neighborhood after performing surgery. Recruiting his son and his neighbors, they valiantly fought off the flames.
Griffiths had a plan, and he huddled in his quickly recruited team to brief them on how it was about to go down. The flames were approaching, and he knew they were the last line of defense for the beachside properties.
For five days, Griffiths, his son, and one other protected six houses in the neighborhood from the wildfires. Armed with only shovels, hoses, and grit, they protected their homes. Furious winds and embers constantly threatened their lives, but they never gave in.
Griffiths's neighbor spoke about his decision to stand as the last line of defense against the fires. "At one point I started packing up my car and then I just decided I'm just not gonna let my house burn down, no matter what." The brain surgeon gave him the will to fight for his home, and he ran with it.
The Surgeon, His Son, And his Friend Beat The Odds, And Flames
The scenes were something right out of an action film. As the neighborhood fell to rubble around them amid the wildfires, the 80mph winds picked up. Griffiths and his team climbed to the roof of their building.
"Everything was coming this way. The fire was coming this way, the smoke, the embers in the air, the wind was unbelievable," he recounted. They were floored multiple times by the gusts but never gave up the fight. Buildings exploded around them, and they often considered making an escape.
They had a retreat planned, using paddleboards to push themselves out to sea if all was lost. But, despite coming close, they never abandoned their post. At one point, as the neighborhood looked lost to the wildfires, the brain surgeon called the local fire department for a water drop.
However, many of the aircraft used for these extinguishing tactics were grounded. They were alone and left to fight back the flames with what they had.
But, it paid off. It was what his son referred to as his dad's "warrior mentality" that saved their homes from looters and wildfires.
