Laguna Crew Gets Second Chance : Firefighters: Fresh from their own inferno, the four-man engine company makes a stand--and some gratifying ‘saves’--in Malibu.

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

When they arrived at Malibu’s Sweetwater Canyon on Tuesday afternoon, most of the four-man crew had already logged some hard time repelling a fire on their home turf of Laguna Beach that destroyed 366 homes.

Most of the neighborhoods where they had worked in Laguna Beach had plenty of hydrants and water pressure, although there were complaints of inadequate water supplies by firefighters elsewhere in the huge blaze.

But 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 would need all of that, and more, to save themselves and others.

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

It 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 south 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 head first into the cab--escaping the fireball by sprawling across Mish’s and Ellis’ laps.

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

Then things got really hot.

Assigned to make a similar stand to the south, in a subdivision called Big Rock, Engine Company 8 placed itself in front of a home that had a significant firebreak of ice plants and cement.

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

The husband and wife, in their 40s or 50s, had already seen their home devalued and their insurance rescinded because of a landslide that has threatened Big Rock for more than a decade.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, were spraying the flames with everything they had. The man of the house tried to help--his overalls once even caught fire. His wife recorded the whole scene with her video camera.

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But 500 gallons of water doesn’t go far.

When the hoses ran dry, embers began to dance wildly around the firefighters and smoke billowed so heavily that they could hardly see the ends of their arms. Ellis decided it was time to pull out.

The homeowners finally agreed to leave, squeezing into the engine’s cab with Ellis and Mish, while Perrin and Shook held on behind the cab and ducked their heads as the entire group raced to safety.

Later, the firemen--feeling badly let down--caught their breath on Pacific Coast Highway.

“We had spent so much time trying to save this house, and we thought we had lost it,” Ellis said. “We thought the worst.”

The next day, a Mercedes pulled up and the husband and wife jumped out and 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 reflected. “This time, we know we made a save. We made a good stand.”

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