Don Camacho and his family have lived in Pacific Palisades for over two decades. When the fire sparked on January 7, they safely made it to their relatives in Encino.
The next day, as the Pacific Palisades burned, Camacho returned with his son Owen to try to salvage some of their belongings and, again, made it out safe.
Sitting with his family the next morning, exhausted, drained, and emotional from the prior day, "I saw on the news volleyball legend Randy Stoklos...He stayed back to help save his community," Camacho said in an exclusive interview with KNX News chief correspondent Charles Feldman.
"He said, 'You know, the only way that I was going to be able to save my house and my little mini-community here in the Palisades was to stay back and just help and do what I could,' So that's what he did," Camacho recalled.
Stoklos' next words, "I am capable," resonated with Camacho: "I looked at my wife and said, These guys don't have everything they need. They just don't have enough bodies."
So his wife ran out to buy extra supplies, and off Camacho went. "Lots of obstacles along the way as you can imagine, but next thing I know, I'm riding down the bike path on Will Rogers State Beach, this beach where I've, day in and day out, been blessed to pass by and enjoy as all these people are heading out."
"I would be lying to say I wasn't scared," Camacho said. ”[But] the moment got me, and again, 'I am capable' just kept me going."
After assessing his house for additional damage, Camacho checked on his neighbor, who was still in his home.
"[I] bang on the garage door praying that he's still there because by now it's dark, and I don't want to be there by myself," Camacho said.
Though their family home remained standing, a smaller dwelling on their property burnt down.Camacho
Luckily, Camacho said his friend was home, and they spent the next six nights doing whatever they could to support first responders and protect their community.
"Our neighborhood is really close, as are so many neighborhoods in the Palisades...and those are the things that motivate you, so we were checking on their houses," Camacho said.
They also helped the fire crews navigate what Camacho called their geographically complicated neighborhood.
"Certainly, I'm not going to sit there and fight fires because I'm not a professional and that that would be not a good idea, but I can certainly say we were spotting things and pointing them out, and they say, Great, you see anything, call us, and that's what we were doing constantly," he said.
Camacho said that his main house is still standing, though it suffered quite a bit of damage, with windows blown out and fire damage in the main bedroom.
He said he feels blessed, considering all the destruction others face as they return to the community.
Don’s wife Ann, son Owen and daughter AbbyCamacho
Though Camacho is proud of his efforts, he echoes the fire department and other officials' firm stance against this kind of vigilante action during a disaster.
Hear the full interview above.
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