Ducks Honor Firefighters for Wildfire Heroism

Capt. John McPhillips of the Anaheim Fire Department isn’t used to fanfare and big to-dos for doing his job. But even he says that what he and his crew experienced during the recent Southern California wildfires makes a heck of a story.

So compelling a story that Anaheim’s Mighty Ducks honored McPhillips and other firefighters Sunday on the ice just before their NHL hockey game with the Edmonton Oilers.

And he had to admit that the ovation from the 12,400 attending the game gave him chills.

The ceremonies began with the Arrowhead Pond darkened. Then spotlights highlighted firefighters as they rappelled, one by one, to the ice from the rafters 135 feet above.

In addition to McPhillips, who represented Orange County firefighters, there was Kevin Stewart representing San Bernardino; Mike Rottenberg, San Diego; Mike Roldan, Los Angeles County; and Steve Gallegos, Riverside County.

McPhillips, the hometown fireman, was chosen to drop the ceremonial puck. He also got to keep it.

The Ducks presented each firefighter with a plaque thanking them for their work during the wildfires in which 24 people died, more than 3,600 homes were destroyed and about 750,000 acres were scorched.

McPhillips and his crew were sent to the Old fire in San Bernardino on Oct. 25 to protect homes in the Del Rosa neighborhood.

The next day, they went to Devore, “where things got interesting,” McPhillips said.

On that hot, dry Sunday, the four-member crew survived an inferno with embers raining down on them. And then, forced to watch the fire claim home after home, they fought to save one house that otherwise would have been lost.

After 36 hours of fighting the blazes, they were caught in a firestorm.

The flames got bigger, came closer and the area where they planned to make a stand quickly became indefensible, he said.

“As the fire drew closer, the wind increased,” he said, and soon it ignited big eucalyptus trees and flames shot up over 100 feet.

McPhillips ordered his men into the truck for safety. The fire was so intense that when they opened the truck’s doors, blankets and clothing inside caught fire, and they were stamping out flames as the driver made his way in unfamiliar territory to safety, McPhillips said.

They returned and tried to pick up where they left off, battling without success to save a few more homes.

With their truck low on water, they spotted one house where small fires already were licking at the structure.

Normally, he said, they would have saved what little water they had for houses that could be more easily saved. But they’d seen too many homes destroyed, and decided this one wouldn’t be.

They drove to a hydrant, filled their tanks, and raced back to the house, where the garage was beyond salvation, but the house could be saved.

“Although the garage was lost, we were proud and exhilarated that the house was left standing,” he said.