Man on Crutches Pulls Landlady From Fire

A Laguna Beach man on crutches and suffering from a broken shoulder rescued his 82-year-old landlady Sunday morning after a fire left her engulfed in flames.

Ignacio Battaglia, 30, who imports supplies for Italian restaurants, including his family’s Romeo Cucina, heard Lena George, his landlady, screaming from inside the Catalina Street apartment complex they share at about 10:25 a.m.

Battaglia, who broke his foot and shoulder in a recent automobile accident, grabbed his crutches and rushed next door, where he found George, in her wheelchair, covered in flames.

“He grabs her and pulls her to the sink, gets a bowl full of water and douses her,” said Laguna Fire Captain Jeff LaTendresse. “Then he calls 911 and pulls her and the wheelchair out of the home. He’s hysterical. But he saves her life.”

George, who is listed in critical condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange, was heating food in her oven when it caught fire. When she opened the oven, her clothes ignited and she was burned over 80% of her body, said Fire Chief Bill Edmundson. She was transported to the burn center by helicopter.

Battaglia’s cousin, Ignacio Capano, said he and his cousin emigrated from Italy seven years ago. Until recently, Capano and Battaglia worked together as waiters at Romeo Cucina, where six other cousins are employed.

Fire officials said the blaze caused about $10,000 in damage to George’s residence.