Rescuer Is Honored as Forest Fire Fades

A San Diego firefighter received a commendation Saturday for quick action that may have spared an inmate working on the Williams fire in Angeles National Forest from severe burns.

James Jones, 27, a U.S. Forest Service firefighter based in the Cleveland National Forest, got his award in the early morning hours, then left for the fire lines on what has become a soggy, fading blaze. Several hundred of his comrades were released from the fire, which consumed 35,925 acres last week before soggy weather subdued it this weekend.

The fire was reported to be 75% contained Saturday--a major advance from the day before--with the threat significantly diminished, officials said.

The rescue occurred on Wednesday, as the raging fire tore along the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Jones and his engine crew were helping to clear brush and light backfires to protect Follows Camp, a small, mostly seasonal settlement, when an inmate working in a ravine above him was hit by a falling boulder and sent hurtling down into the burn area.

Jones, the only firefighter close to where the man landed, hauled the semiconscious inmate out of a pit, saving him from what could have been severe burns, according to witnesses.

“It was well over 2,000 degrees, and he went in there and hauled him out like a piece of luggage,” said Mark Miller, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection captain who supervised the crew. “It was way hot.”

The boulder, which Miller said measured 3 feet in diameter and weighed hundreds of pounds, caromed down the ravine, sending the crew scurrying for cover, Miller said. Inmate Del Karnes had run to the side of the ravine: The boulder slammed into his lower leg and sent him end-over-end down about 70 feet of slope.

The dazed Karnes landed in an area of slash and brush that had just been ignited, according to Miller. “He went from standing position to a ball, and was just pummeled down into the fire,” Miller said. Karnes broke an ankle and was evacuated to a hospital. He could not be reached for comment.

“I just ran up to him like anyone else and dragged him from the burn,” Jones said, shrugging off the incident. “With your adrenaline going, it’s easy to do.”

The burly nine-year veteran said he had seen the boulder come loose, yelled for the crew to take cover, then watched in shock as the inmate fell. Karnes was in the burn area only a matter of seconds before being rescued, Jones said.

“As soon as he stopped rolling, I pulled him out,” he said. “I think anyone would have done it, seeing that happen.”

The commendation Saturday came amid other positive developments on a stubborn fire that has forced the closing of the entire national forest.

High humidity and sporadic drizzle suppressed the flames, which once threatened several foothill communities, as well as Mount Baldy Village, according to fire officials. A series of backfires set overnight helped clear underbrush and trees in an area south of the village, said Richard Wingate of the Mount Baldy volunteer fire department.

The weather, which is expected to continue to be relatively damp and cool for several days, should aid the effort, with more drizzle and humidity predicted for today. But winds are expected to pick up slightly, forecasters said.

Throughout the soggy village Saturday, relieved residents--and a few from neighboring communities--applauded the work of the firefighters who had kept the flames at bay.

At the Mount Baldy Lodge at mid-morning, groups of firefighters, still in sooty gear, dug into a breakfast of sausage and pancakes as the owner, Missy Ellington, served coffee and thanks in equal portions.

With the fire slowed, Ellington said, she was starting to relax. “We’ve had a lot of firefighters around, and we feel pretty safe now,” she said.

“The firefighters have just been awesome,” said Jennifer Tobias, 30, who has worked as a waitress at the lodge on and off since childhood and was back Saturday to help out. Tobias said the lodge had served 230 meals to firefighters Friday night and more than 200 on Saturday.

Just outside the village, Esther Morales, whose niece had been evacuated with other residents last week, stopped her Range Rover near a firefighting crew to distribute more food. Morales and several friends had filled the back of her vehicle with boxes of fruit and cookies and had talked their way through several checkpoints to carry out their project, they said. “Everybody just said, ‘Keep going,’ ” Morales said.

Handing out bananas, apples and chocolate chip cookies to a “hot shot” team from Montana, Morales said she and friends Linda Alvarez, Hope Brown, and Brown’s daughter Montana, 7, just wanted to say thanks to all who had helped save the area from further destruction.

Firefighter Stephanie Juko said she was grateful for the fruit and the personal thanks. “You get tired at times, but you get used to it,” said Juko, whose crew had been fighting the fire since Wednesday. “We’ll be here as long as they need us.”

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Times staff writers Daren Briscoe and Rebecca Trounson contributed to this report.