Last week, the Gonzalez Garza family returned to their property to see their home burned to the ground. That's where they spotted two blue coolers sitting in the driveway. What they found inside brought them to tears.
"We started realizing somebody went in there, in the chaos, and found these photos, and saved them for us," said Lucas Gonzalez Garza.
The coolers were full of family photos of the family's grandparents and parents from Cuba and Mexico.
"It was joy because it brought all of a sudden ... all the loss was kind of filled in that moment with this joy, with kindness," said Maria Gonzalez Garza. "We were thinking, 'Who were the angels that were here?'"
Those angels were Pasadena firefighters Jonathan Gonzales and Rich Garcia. The two were posted along E. Altadena Drive for structure protection during the fire.
When they realized they couldn't stop the flames that were raging in the family's attic, they decided to do what they could as they raced out.
"Knowing this house, there's nothing in it that survived in this household, and being able to pull something out, at least some memories, is the main thing that I focused on," said Garcia.
The firefighters said it was gut wrenching to see home after home burn as the fierce winds and flames won the fight.
"Honestly, I wish we could've done a lot more with what little time we had, with how fast the fire was moving, how fast houses were going up ... it was the little that we could do," said Gonzales.
For the family, it was more than they ever could've imagined, and said they couldn't believe that in the midst of the danger and chaos, two firefighters focused on an overwhelming act of kindness.
"Hearing about the joy from the family, discovering those photos ... that's all that matters to me," said Garcia.