A pair of brothers decided to stay in their hillside neighborhood on Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, regardless of the mandatory evacuation orders, to help fight the Thomas Fire.
Matt and Craig Thomas (yes, their last name is Thomas) have assisted fire crews all week.
Their company, A1 Water & Dump Truck Services, supplies equipment for the Thomas Fire base camps, water tenders, helicopters and more.
They say they’ve even stepped in to help build fire lines and protect some structures over the last few days, while wondering if their own home is in jeopardy.
"I’ve been gone for the last 11 days on this fire down in Ventura, came home yesterday afternoon and the winds were about 65-75 mph," Matt said. "There was fire everywhere you could see."
Matt says there has been a lot of action around Gibraltar Road, but as a former firefighter, they’ve been monitoring the weather conditions. Both brothers are ready to leave at a moment’s notice, if the flames get too close.
Although Matt has decades of experience around fires, officials urge everyone to evacuation zones to leave the area.
