Retired firefighter Rich Snyder rescued a neighbor from his burning home when wildfires spread to the Pasadena street where he has lived for more than 30 years.
He told BBC correspondent Helena Humphrey that he was working on his laptop in the evening when he saw a huge fire through his window.
Snyder quickly evacuated his home and warned his neighbors, before staying to fight the fire with a garden hose.
With the help of the fire crew, which was driving a vehicle filled with fire-retardant materials to the area, he was able to contain the fire.
In the end, two houses on the street were burned and the roof of another house was damaged.
