VIDEO: A new documentary shows never-before-seen footage of the Los Angeles wildfires. It spotlights some of the heroic efforts by first responders battling the Eaton and Palisades fires this past January.
“There was a moment that I thought I was trapped. It looked like a fire tornado up there at the time. I’m driving the Crown Vic, and I can’t see. I think I’m going straight, and I’m almost hitting a curb and a tree,” a deputy says in one scene, recalling driving through an Altadena neighborhood.
It’s one of the intense scenes from the 34-minute documentary, “Resilience,” released by the unions representing Los Angeles County first responders — which include firefighters, deputies, and lifeguards.
The documentary puts you in the fire zone with first responders in the first hours of the Eaton and Palisades fires.
“You know, it just made you think that, within a short 12 hours, a lot of Altadena was burned up,” another firefighter said, describing what he saw after the fires were put out. At a news conference outside the Altadena sheriff’s station, union reps for L.A. County first responders said the documentary will hopefully lead to a new deal with higher pay and the hiring of more personnel.
KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles
