‘That’s what we do’: Fairfield police officer describes saving home from fire on Fourth of July

“The roof was just littered with fire embers,” Dave Neal told KCRA 3.

INVESTIGATION. NEW THIS MORNING, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE HEARING FROM THE FAIRFIELD POLICE OFFICER, WHO IS BEING CALLED A HERO. THIS VIDEO IS FROM THE 4TH OF JULY. IT SHOWS OFFICER DAVE NEAL. HE RESPONDED TO A CALL, BUT SAW A FENCE ON FIRE, GRABBED A HOSE AND SPRAYED THE FLAMES HIMSELF. THANKS TO OFFICER NEAL, THE FAMILY SAYS THEIR HOME WAS SAVED AND THIS MORNING WE WELCOME HIM TO OUR SHOW OFFICER NEAL, GOOD MORNING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH US. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU KNOW, OUR VIEWERS HAVE SEEN THAT VIDEO. WE’VE ALL WATCHED IT. AND WE WANT YOU THOUGH, TO WALK US THROUGH THAT MOMENT AND HOW THIS ALL UNFOLDED. OKAY. UM, SO I, UH, WAS WORKING IN THEIR, UH, CALL OF A FIRE CAME OUT, UM, AND I WAS JUST IN THE AREA ALSO THAT NIGHT, I WAS WORKING FOR. THAT WAS MY PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY THAT NIGHT, RESPONDING TO FIRES AND FIREWORKS CALLS TO TRY AND HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE CALLS FOR THE PATROL. OFFICERS HAD TO GO TO. SO WHEN I WENT THERE, UM, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT THERE AND THEY STARTED DOING THE WORK. THE FIRE WAS REALLY BIG AND I COULD SEE THE THE FLAMES. AND, UH, A LOT OF EMBERS, UM, IN THE AIR, THE WINDS IN FAIRFIELD ARE WERE RELATIVELY STRONG THAT EVENING. SO, UM, I WENT TO THE COURT AREA, THE SHERWOOD COURT, TO START NOTIFYING RESIDENTS AND LETTING THEM KNOW OF THE FIRE AND THE DANGERS. AND I SAW THE EMBERS FLOATING AND FLYING THROUGH THE AIR BECAUSE OF THE WIND. AND THERE’S MOST OF THE RESIDENTS WERE OUTSIDE. BUT I DID NOTICE ONE HOUSE DID NOT HAVE ANYBODY OUTSIDE, AND THERE WAS THEIR ROOF WAS JUST LITTERED WITH, UH, FIRE EMBERS. SO I THINKING, YOU KNOW, IS THIS SOMEBODY THERE? ARE THEY ASLEEP OR ARE THEY MAYBE NOT HOME? ELDERLY. I WASN’T SURE. I’VE NEVER DEALT WITH THE RESIDENT THERE, SO I JUST WENT OVER, RANG THEIR DOORBELL, KIND OF KNOCKED ON THEIR DOOR A LITTLE BIT, AND TO ALERT THEM. AND IT SEEMS LIKE YOU DIDN’T. YOU DIDN’T PAUSE. LIKE YOU DIDN’T EVEN TAKE A BEAT BEFORE GOING TO GET THAT HOSE. WAS THERE A CONCERN IN YOUR MIND, THOUGH, THAT IT COULD HAVE GOTTEN BIGGER AND THEN YOU COULD HAVE BEEN PUTTING YOURSELF AT RISK? WELL, NOT NECESSARILY MYSELF, BUT I WAS MOSTLY CONCERNED FOR THE THE HOUSE, UM, AND THE, THE RESIDENTS OF THAT OF THAT HOUSE. IF SOMEONE WAS INSIDE, I WANTED THEM TO, TO WAKE UP. SO, YOU KNOW, BANGING ON THE DOOR, RINGING THE DOORBELL. BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, I KNEW OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS TAXED. THEY WERE RUNNING CALLS ALL NIGHT. THEY THEY WERE THEY WERE TIED UP FIGHTING THE, UH, THE LARGER FIRE. AND I JUST DIDN’T WANT THIS HOUSE TO BECOME A SECONDARY FIRE. SO, UH, THAT LUCKILY THE RESIDENTS HAD A GARDEN HOSE RIGHT IN THE FRONT YARD. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE WATER ON AND GET SOME WATER ON THEIR ROOF. OFFICER NEIL, I WANT YOU TO HEAR. I WANT YOU TO HEAR SOMETHING. SO A FAMILY MEMBER COMMENTED ON FACEBOOK, THEY POSTED ON FACEBOOK SAYING, QUOTE, I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR SAVING MY MOM’S HOME. MY CHILDHOOD HOME. OFFICER NEIL WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE, AND WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL. TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE FEELING AND THINKING AS YOU HEAR THOSE COMMENTS FROM THE FAMILY. WELL, FIRST, AS, UH, VERY NICE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE KIND WORDS, BUT THAT’S WHAT WE DO, THAT THAT YOU KNOW, IT’S THE THE JOB IS, UM, IT TAKES MANY TURNS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, UH, WE’RE WE’RE WE HAVE TO PUT ON, WEAR DIFFERENT HATS AND PUT ON DIFFERENT CAPES. AND, UH, IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE THAT NIGHT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULD DO TO TO HELP THAT RESIDENCE AND THE PEOPLE THERE, AND IT WASN’T NECESSARILY NORMALLY POLICE WORK. IT WAS. IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO SUPPORT THEM ANY WAY WE CAN, TOO. OFFICER NEIL, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CALLING YOU A HERO. I THINK WE ALL HERE AGREE. AND I KNOW THAT FAMILY IS GRATEFUL YOU’VE BEEN ON THE FORCE FOR 18 YEARS. AND WE JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US THIS FIRST INTERVIEW TO TALK ABOUT IT. THIS MORNING. OF COURSE. THAN

‘That’s what we do’: Fairfield police officer describes saving home from fire on Fourth of July

“The roof was just littered with fire embers,” Dave Neal told KCRA 3.

A Fairfield police officer credited with saving a home from being destroyed in a fire on the Fourth of July said he jumped into action after being concerned that residents in the home might be in danger. Video showed Officer Dave Neal grabbing a garden hose to help put out the fire at the home on Sherwood Court after 10 p.m. on July 4. According to the police department, Neal was responding to a fire call when he noticed a fence on fire and embers on the roof of a neighboring home. “The roof was just littered with fire embers,” Neal told KCRA 3. He said he noticed the house didn’t have people waiting outside like others in the area. He rang the doorbell and “knocked on the door a little bit” to try to alert anyone inside about the fire. He then quickly grabbed a hose and put out the fire. “I knew our fire department was taxed. They were running calls all night,” he said. “They were tied up fighting the larger fire. I just didn’t want this house to become a secondary fire. Luckily, the residents had a garden hose right in the front yard.” People who lived at the home were not there at the time and later said they were grateful for Neal’s actions. Neal said he appreciated the kind words but considered his actions as part of the job. “That’s what we do,” he said. “The job takes many turns. Sometimes we have to wear different hats and put on different capes. It just happened to be that night that there was something that I could do to help that residence and the people there.” See his full interview in the video above.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

FAIRFIELD, Calif. —

Video showed Officer Dave Neal grabbing a garden hose to help put out the fire at the home on Sherwood Court after 10 p.m. on July 4.

According to the police department, Neal was responding to a fire call when he noticed a fence on fire and embers on the roof of a neighboring home.

“The roof was just littered with fire embers,” Neal told KCRA 3.

He said he noticed the house didn’t have people waiting outside like others in the area. He rang the doorbell and “knocked on the door a little bit” to try to alert anyone inside about the fire. He then quickly grabbed a hose and put out the fire.

“I knew our fire department was taxed. They were running calls all night,” he said. “They were tied up fighting the larger fire. I just didn’t want this house to become a secondary fire. Luckily, the residents had a garden hose right in the front yard.”

People who lived at the home were not there at the time and later said they were grateful for Neal’s actions.

Neal said he appreciated the kind words but considered his actions as part of the job.

“That’s what we do,” he said. “The job takes many turns. Sometimes we have to wear different hats and put on different capes. It just happened to be that night that there was something that I could do to help that residence and the people there.”

See his full interview in the video above.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

Source