Video showed a firefighter rescue a woman surrounded by flames last week during the Airport Fire in the Southern California mountains. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday Sept. 13, 2024.
Frightening video showed a firefighter rescue a woman surrounded by fast-moving flames last week during the Airport Fire in the Riverside County mountains.
A Cal Fire battalion chief saw the woman in a dress walking on Ortega Highway Tuesday night in the El Cariso neighborhood of Lake Elsinore. Glowing embers danced at the women's feet as strong wind gusts fanned nearby flames.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Michael Martinez was in a department vehicle when he arrived at the haunting scene.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"This is one of those moments that you hope you never come across," said Cal Fire Battallion Chief Michael Martinez. "As we came out, I was one of the last ones in line, just watching to see the progression of the fire. I just saw this person walking down the middle of the highway with fire on both sides."
Martinez rushed the woman down the canyon to paramedics in Lake Elsinore waiting in an ambulance. The woman suffered burns, but was expected to recover, according to fire officials.
"We're all extremely proud," said Orange County Fire Authority public information office Steve Concialdi. "He did an outstanding job."
The Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties started Sept. 9. It has burned more than 23,500 acres with containment Monday at 31 percent. Evacuations remain in effect for some areas.
