The Southland Firestorm: A Special Report : The Firefighters : On the Fire Line : THE ENGINE CREW : ‘You Think You Have Made a Save, but You’re Not Sure’

The men of Orange County Engine 8 didn’t have to wait long to be introduced to their second dangerous firestorm in a week.

When they arrived Tuesday afternoon in Malibu’s Sweetwater Canyon, most of the four-man crew had already logged hard time battling the blaze near their home turf of Laguna Beach. But most of the Laguna neighborhoods had plenty of hydrants and adequate water pressure.

Here, in Malibu, water lines were out, and they would have only themselves, their engine and its 500-gallon tank of water. Over the next 10 hours, they needed all of that, and more, to save themselves and others.

Led by wiry, 23-year veteran Capt. Jim Ellis, the Orange County team was twice overrun by fire and saved only by huddling inside their engine.

Their ordeal began just 10 minutes after they went to work in Malibu, as they tried to drive up Sweetwater Canyon, a steep and narrow ravine just east of the Malibu Pier.

Engineer Mike Mish, 34, did not even have time to turn the engine around into a defensive, downhill position when the flames came boiling over the canyon rim. A Los Angeles County battalion chief who had been standing beside the road dove headfirst into the cab--escaping the fireball by sprawling across the laps of Mish and Ellis.

Charging on through the flames, the Orange County firefighters and their engine were soon positioned in front of homes atop the canyon. Working with four other companies in their strike force, they made at least eight saves--homes they spared from the inferno.

Then things got really hot.

Assigned to make a similar stand to the east, in a subdivision called Big Rock, Engine 8 positioned itself in front of a home that had a significant firebreak of ice plant and concrete.

Unfortunately, it also had a steep and narrow driveway surrounded by trees--and a stubborn couple who refused to evacuate, Juergen and Helma Cords.

This husband and wife, in their 40s or 50s, had already seen their home devalued and their insurance rescinded because of a landslide area that has threatened Big Rock for more than a decade. If their home was lost, they told the firemen, the city of Malibu would never permit them to rebuild.

The four-man crew had more pressing problems than evicting the owners, though. Across the street, the fire had exploded dangerously around a wood house.

Firefighters Todd Perrin, 40, and Jim Shook, 36, sprayed the flames with everything they had. Juergen Cords tried to help--his overalls even catching fire. His wife followed the scene with her video camera.

But 500 gallons doesn’t go far.

The firefighters’ hoses ran dry, and embers began to dance wildly around them. Smoke billowed so heavily they could barely see to the ends of their arms. Capt. Ellis decided it was time to pull out.

The Cords finally agreed to leave, squeezing into the engine’s cab with Ellis and Mish. Perrin and Shook held on behind the cab, ducking their heads as the group raced up the driveway to safety.

Later, the firefighters caught their breath along Pacific Coast Highway and said they felt they’d let someone down.

The next day, a Mercedes pulled up and out jumped the Cords. They threw their arms around the firemen. Their home had made it through.

“A lot of times you think you have made a save, but you’re not sure,” Mish said. “This time, we know we made a save. We made a good stand.”

The rest of Engine 8 concurred. Said Ellis: “It made the whole trip worthwhile.”