Malibu Brain Surgeon Fights For A Week Saving His Street From Wildfires

For the last 15 years, Dr. Chester Griffiths, a 62-year-old brain surgeon from Malibu, California, and his neighbor Clayton Colbert have been preparing for the day they would need to act to save their homes from a wildfire. That day came when the Palisades fire threatened their neighborhood, prompting Griffiths, his son Chester Jr, and Colbert to fight the blaze for nearly a week. Ignoring evacuation orders, the trio worked to protect their street until emergency services arrived.

Griffiths returned to his street just hours after completing brain surgery to find homes being destroyed one after another. Relying on the plan and equipment they had developed over the years, the group connected hoses to hydrants and climbed onto roofs to spray water on the advancing flames. For 12-hour stretches, they battled burning embers, using dirt to extinguish smaller fires and holding their ground amid intense conditions.

Firefighters didn’t make it to their neighborhood for several days due to the overwhelming number of fires across the Los Angeles area, but Griffiths was understanding about the fire department's stretched resources. He credits their proactive approach, proper equipment, and teamwork for helping save homes on their street.

Source: BBC