Retired fire captain jumps into action, helps save neighbor and homes from Eaton Fire

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A retired fire captain jumped into action to save his Pasadena home and the homes of his neighbors after the Eaton Fire broke out.

For 36 years, Rich Snyder protected homes from wildfires across the state, but as embers from the Eaton Fire rained down he knew this time was different. It was his own home that would need saving.

"This fire, two doors away - in this type of wind, I was going to lose my house," Snyder said. "I was going to lose my whole neighborhood."

Now serving as a fire expert for a disaster defense agency, Snyder quickly jumped into action. He was severely outmatched with only a garden hose at his disposal. Snyder could only hope for the best against the raging inferno.

He also turned his attention to his neighbor's safety, racing to save an elderly man who became disoriented and tried running back in to his burning home.

And as the firefight seemed bleak with no crews in sight, the miracle he prayed for just so happened to pull up to his home: a van from his work with 100 gallons of fire retardant made its return from Pacific Palisades.

"The fact that the guys happened to be coming down the 210 Freeway with that truck... I thought I was dreaming," Snyder said.

Working throughout the night, it wasn't until hours later that Snyder and his crew realized what they had accomplished. Aside from a few burned homes, including his own, Snyder helped to save the block from complete destruction.

"People keep coming up to me and saying it's a miracle, 'Thank you, you did all this. You're a hero,'" Snyder said. "This is by the grace of God, this happened."

Now as he has seen from countless fire victims before, Snyder begins the recovery process himself, and he is just thankful to have neighbors by his side.

"We are banning together and going through it together" he said. "To try to go through this on your own, it would be miserable."