George Morgan, who is one of the leaders of the church’s recovery ministries, fought the fire almost all night. “I was wondering if I made a good decision, but in the end it was great,” he told the Orange County Register.
Morgan was surprised at the speed of the fire. “It happened so fast,” he said. “The fire was just there on our street.”
His wife and two boys evacuated Saturday afternoon, but Morgan stayed and used a garden hose to keep the fire at bay.
After dousing the fire at his home, Morgan helped put out the fire at the home of a neighbor who had evacuated. In addition to saving the home, Morgan also saved the neighbor’s six chickens that were singed, but otherwise unharmed.
Firefighters used Morgan’s garage as a command post where they could get water and food. The accompanying photo shows Morgan with four firefighters.
Frank Riley, pastor of River47, said that although the homes of members have been threatened, no losses have been reported.
Riley was getting ready to hit the “send” button on an email to encourage his church members to pray for the Montecito Covenant Church when sirens began blaring in his neighborhood.
The sirens were alerting the neighbors to the Orange Country fire, also warning that residents should evacuate. Firefighters said today that they are beginning to get the fires under control. At least some residents of Yorba Linda have been allowed to return to their residences.
