BOULEVARD, Calif. — A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy and two CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire firefighter-paramedics helped a 74-year-old woman and her 70-year-old partner evacuate as the fast-moving Thorn Fire closed in on their home, according to an official County of San Diego report published July 17.

Watch the County of San Diego’s Thorn Fire rescue account

Video source: County of San Diego Communications Office. Watch the official county video on YouTube if the embedded player does not load.

Deputy returns as smoke surrounds the home

The county identified the residents as Patti Fisher, 74, and Dan Shanahan, 70. They initially watched the fire move away from their Tierra Heights home on July 15, but the fire changed direction and flames approached their backyard.

Sheriff’s Deputy John Ferris had checked on the couple earlier and encouraged them to prepare to leave. About 35 minutes later, he returned while continuing to warn people in the area and found the couple having difficulty getting Fisher into her wheelchair. Smoke was beginning to surround the property.

“I was incredibly concerned,” Ferris told the county. “It was very close.”

Firefighter-paramedics rerouted from the fire line

Ferris called for an ambulance. Firefighter-paramedics Fredric Miltimore and Lee Woods were rerouted from the fire line to help Fisher leave safely, the county reported.

The official account describes nearly 20-foot flames near the property, burning brush and narrow dirt roads. As the ambulance pulled away, the couple saw black smoke cover the home and feared it would be lost.

“We basically peeled out of there,” Woods said in the county video. “It was stressful. Glad we were able to help.”

Additional fire crews arrived after the ambulance left and fought the fire through the night. The county said their work saved the home. Fisher and Shanahan stayed at a Red Cross shelter for 24 hours before returning when conditions were safe.

A coordinated public-safety response

The evacuation brought together the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, CAL FIRE/San Diego County Fire, the County Office of Emergency Services and the American Red Cross. The county used the incident to remind residents that wildfires can shift direction quickly and that evacuation plans should account for mobility or other assistance needs.

The county’s official video and report include direct accounts from the residents, Deputy Ferris and the firefighter-paramedics. ThinBlueNews is limiting this report to those published facts and is not adding an independent cause, containment figure or damage estimate for the Thorn Fire.

Sources and image attribution

Featured-image note: The image is the lead photograph published with the County of San Diego’s official report. ThinBlueNews cropped it to the site’s 1200-by-630 format without adding people, flames or other scene elements.

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