PASADENA, Calif. — Pasadena Fire Engineer Chien Yu faced a personal tragedy while fighting to contain the Eaton Fire and protect his community.
Shortly after evacuating his home with his wife and two children, Yu joined the front lines to battle the devastating blaze, KABC reported.
“We worked all night, worked really hard. We tried,” Yu said, describing how hard he and his crew tried to save homes from the wind-driven fire.
Among the homes destroyed in the fire was Yu’s own. As the flames approached, his wife, Kim, quickly packed a few belongings and evacuated with their two sons. Meanwhile, Chien rushed to join the firefighting efforts, taking only socks and underwear.
“When you’re trying to go help fight fires and it’s actually your home. It’s unbelievable,” said Yu. “There’s no words, no words. It’s just crazy what everybody in the neighborhood, the family’s gone through.”
A GoFundMe has been created to help the Yu family recover.
