Service Maintenance workers extinguish car fire; none injured

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

On Sept. 10 around 10 a.m., GRF Service Maintenance employees Derek Larios and Juan Fuentes extinguished a fire erupting from a yellow Volkswagon Beetle at the intersection of Golden Rain Road and St. Andrews Drive. Fellow Service Maintenance staff have nicknamed the two “bomberos,” the Spanish word for firefighter.

According to a Security report, shortly before 10 a.m. a female Mutual 2 resident left her home, traveling eastbound on Golden Rain Road. As she approached the intersection of Golden Rain Road and St. Andrews Drive, she smelled gas and then her vehicle caught fire, according to the report.

She heard someone yell, “You are on fire!” Larios drove up to the scene in a maintenance vehicle and saw smoke.

Larios and Fuentes each grabbed a fire extinguisher from their vehicle and extinguished the blaze. The Security report states the source of the fire was a “vehicle fuel line issue.”

GRF President Linda Herman praised the two for their heroicism in extinguishing the fire and avoiding potential injury.

The Orange County Fire Authority and Seal Beach Police Department arrived to the scene shortly after. No injuries were reported. Anyone who sees smoke, flames or smells gas in Leisure World is urged to call 911 and leave the area immediately.

Derek Larios

Juan Fuentes