Los Angeles County firefighter recounts helicopter rescue in Phelan
A Los Angeles County firefighter recounted a daring rooftop rescue to save residents from the flooding that overcame Phelan on Christmas Eve.
Cell phone video from a neighbor shows Johnny Gray III and his crew from Copter 19 landing a single wheel on the home before rushing to help the trapped residents.
"This shift was one of those shifts that I will never forget," Gray said. "Not only was it Christmas Eve, but it was a shift you don't get very often. Again, we train for this stuff, but it doesn't happen every time it rains."
LA County Fire said their firefighters rescued dozens of people and a handful of dogs during the operation. They described the difficulty of the rescue as balancing an elephant on a beach ball.
"To know that you were a part of that career shift, and you actually affected change, is very rewarding," Gray said. "But, I also have to take it a step back and realize that it's just us doing our job.
Robert Ralph, the neighbor who recorded the rooftop rescue, said he watched in astonishment as the crew hovered mere feet above the floodwaters.
"This was a river," Ralph recalled. "It was rapids on both sides of this home and the fire crew was over there. ... They just couldn't get to him, except by a chopper."
Ralph's family said the water quickly surrounded their neighborhood after the heavy downpour filled the nearby wash. Meteorologists said the winter storm dumped several inches of rain in Southern California.
"Could have very easily been us up on a roof or worse," Ralph said. "I'm just glad that Paul and everybody made it out okay. That's all I really care about."
