LA couple wants to thank mystery hero who helped save house, possibly neighborhood from Sunset Fire
The Brief
A Hollywood Hills couple is searching for a Good Samaritan who helped save their home from the Sunset Fire using a garden hose.
The couple wants to thank the man, who they believe also saved at least one neighbor's home.
LOS ANGELES - A Hollywood Hills couple is searching for the Good Samaritan who helped save their longtime home as the Sunset Fire swept through the area.
On Jan. 8, Vince Brocato and his wife, Candice, watched their home remotely through their Ring security camera when a stranger appeared on their property. Minutes prior, they scared off a suspected would-be looter through the camera's speaker, so Vince shouted to the man, "Hello, can I help you?"
"Yeah, your house is on fire. Me and a firefighter knocked it down just now," the man shouted back.
The mystery hero explained that the patio was locked, so he and a firefighter were using a garden hose to douse the flames. At the time, there were no fire engines in the area.
"If our house had gone, the neighborhood would have gone," Candice said.
Candice grew up in the Runyon Canyon-area home, and she and Vince have lived there together for more than 30 years. When they returned, they saw the extent of the damage—scorched wood and melted lattice on their deck. They believe the same man also saved at least one neighbor's home.
Now, the couple hopes to find and acknowledge the Good Samaritan.
"We'd like to hold this guy up as a role model and personally thank him," Brocato said.
"Our problems are so small by comparison, but it's the 'what could have been.' This man saved our home and probably the neighborhood," said Candice.
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