Residents help neighbors escape Norte Fire as seven homes sustain damage

An Orange County resident and his father helped a family evacuate as the Norte Fire approached homes Friday morning near San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Seven homes were severely damaged or destroyed.

Evacuation orders had been lifted by the time of ABC7's report, but residents described sharply different outcomes for nearby homes. Jessie Ewell said his home was spared while others were red-tagged, including one that had burned to the ground.

Justin Ziegler and his father first noticed the fire from a distance, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. As flames drew closer to homes, they urged a family still collecting belongings to leave.

Ziegler told ABC7 that a child appeared reluctant to move while looking out through a doorway at the fire. He guided the child toward the family's car and helped get the child inside.

When a woman dropped some belongings, Ziegler helped gather them and put them in the car before they left, according to the report. A neighbor also shared an image of flames approaching her backyard before she escaped with Ziegler.

Another resident, Ephraim Taylor, was recorded by a doorbell camera gathering water to throw on a flame. Taylor told ABC7 that having water available had helped him respond.

After evacuation orders were lifted, residents returned to assess the damage. Ewell described seeing several red-tagged homes, including one reduced to the ground, while finding that his own had been spared.

Asked by ABC7 why he had stepped in, Ziegler said he viewed helping the family as the right thing to do rather than putting himself in danger.