Lifeguard makes a rescue — by fighting a house fire

Most people who fight fires don’t do it in flip-flops.

But Skeeter Leeper didn’t have time to change footwear when he realized flames were coming from a beachfront house earlier this month.

Leeper is an 18-year Newport Beach lifeguard. He was patrolling a stretch of sand near 61st Street on the evening of Jan. 9 when he saw smoke wafting from a roof.

He radioed for help and headed toward the home.

“As I got closer, I saw flames coming up from the area directly under the floodlight, which appeared to be knocked over, shining directly onto the second floor roof,” he said.

Newport Beach lifeguards are part of the Fire Department but don’t receive firefighter training.

The most experience Leeper’s had dousing flames was a four-day class dealing with boat fires, so he was running mostly on instinct when he grabbed a hose from the side yard and aimed it toward the flames.

“I just used my thumb to squirt [water] up on the roof,” he said.

Leeper noticed the TV inside was on, so he pounded on the patio door until someone on the couch woke up.

When people inside started poking their heads out to see what was going on, Leeper yelled for them to get out of the house and instructed them to shut off the floodlight, which he believed had sparked the fire.

In a few minutes, two men wearing wetsuits ran up from the beach to ask Leeper what they could do to assist.

With their help, and water from a neighbor’s hose, the flames and smoke died down after about five minutes.

“After speaking with the homeowner later, she thanked me,” Leeper said.

She also told him everyone inside, including two kids, were sick with the flu and had been sound asleep when Leeper started pounding on the door.

Leeper, one of the city’s few full-time lifeguards, said that despite the excitement, dousing the small blaze hasn’t awakened any desire to trade in his sandals and swimwear for boots and a fire helmet.

“I’ll stick to the beach,” he said.