When wildfires came dangerously close to our community in January, panic spread as residents scrambled to evacuate. Knowing the fire was approaching, Saugus students Joshua George and Ezequiel Romero stepped up, spending hours warning others, helping families evacuate, and ensuring people stayed safe. Their quick thinking and selflessness made a real difference during a time of crisis.
In the midst of the chaos, these two high school seniors didn’t hesitate to help. But what was it really like to be there, knowing the fire was rapidly spreading and still stopping to help their community? The Saugus Scroll interviewed George and Romero to hear their story in their own words.
Before arriving in Castaic, George and Romero stopped at their local Grocery Outlet to purchase masks and bottles of water with the goal of passing them out to people in need. Setting foot at 2pm, the two immediately got to work. They came across a neighborhood only a few blocks away from the approaching fire and realized that nobody was evacuating. They knocked on doors, handing out the masks they bought and helped families stay calm and evacuate quickly and safely. George recalls one interaction he had with an older woman who was accompanied by her dog: “She couldn’t lift everything she had with her because it was so heavy. I helped her and she was really panicking. And I comforted her like, hey, don’t worry. The fire is not here yet… She said, ‘I just don’t know where to go.’ And that was really life changing to me. We helped people out in several neighborhoods.”
George and Romero helped people along the road pack their cars, gave them directions on where to go for safety, and gave out water or masks. But what really stood out was the people who tried to stay and not evacuate. Some people weren’t even delivered news that the fire was approaching, and wouldn’t have known if it hadn’t been for the two.
“One of the biggest moments for me,” George states, “was when I went to a bunch of new homes by Castaic … It was less than half an hour from the actual fire. I saw a bunch of workers out there that were just building, working. And the fire is right there. They don’t have phones, [and the news is] coming by phone, and no one had come through telling them to leave because the fire was coming. I used my broken Spanish to say, ‘hey, you need to get out now.’”
The two helped the workers pack up their tools to leave and immediately head over afterwards to Hart High School, the evacuation center that was open to the people of Castaic to escape the Hughes fire. They distributed the rest of the masks and water and did everything they could to help the Red Cross move from Hart High School to College of the Canyons since a bigger location was needed to fit all the evacuees. They were sent everywhere, from Valencia High School, to Hart, to CoC, causing them to stay out until 8pm.
As a final takeaway, the Scroll asked Romero for advice regarding how to stay safe when faced with danger such as the wildfires; these are the three most important things he told us.
- “Definitely don’t wait till the fires are at your doorstep to start preparing because fires spread quickly, especially in urban areas too; be cautious.”
- “Don’t wait there. I saw so many people that were just waiting. They’re watering down their front lawns in an N95 mask because of the ash. It’s not safe … your life is way more important than anything you could try to save in your home.”
- “Don’t forget your community, because those construction workers… I was not the first one to pass by. There were dozens of people I saw pass by before me … And they didn’t do [anything]. Not one of them stopped to help and make sure the men were evacuating. They’re shoveling, they’re working, not packing up. No one else stopped, [the people were] all just going to see the fire.”
The actions of Joshua George and Ezequiel Romero remind us of the power of community and the impact of stepping up in times of crisis. Their willingness to help not only ensured the safety of others, most likely saving lives, but also highlighted the importance of preparedness and looking out for one another. Their story serves as a powerful reminder: in moments of danger, taking action can make all the difference.
