Before firefighters arrived on the ground in the community of Talmadge during Thursday’s fast-moving Fairmount Fire, palm trees and backyard fences began to burn, and a group of neighbors and strangers gathered in the backyards of the threatened houses and sprayed down the properties with water hoses.
The brothers James and Louie Pendley noticed smoke as they were headed to visit a friend a few miles away. Instead, they drove toward the fire and jumped in to help hose down several backyards as flames started to burn fences and decks.
“I don’t know — my brother and I were in the area,” Louie said. “We just decided, like, ‘We see smoke, we’re guys.’ We’re like, ‘Hey, let’s just see what’s going on.’ ”
They drove up and arrived at a scene of panic.
“Planes and helicopters flying over, but none of the water was coming down on us,” James said. …