CHP helicopter crew plucks fire-threatened families to safety
The father stayed behind, seeking the relative shelter of a reservoir, not knowing if the helicopter would return and whether he would survive.
As fires rage in California, US, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has shared the story of a family that was rescued from advancing flames by one of the service’s helicopter crews on 9 October. An emotional reunion was held involving Flight Officer Whitney Lowe and Pilot Pete Gavitte from CHP - Golden Gate Division Air Operations, who rescued five members of the Tamayo family from the Atlas Fire.
The air crew spotted eight cars in the Atlas area of Napa County, whose occupants were attempting to evacuate using Atlas Peak Road, which Lowe and Gavitte could see was blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles, Reuters reports. The pair used the helicopter’s searchlight to attract the drivers’ attention and then landed nearby.
In their first rescue, five members of the Tamayo family were brought to the aircraft, but the helicopter could not accommodate them all. A seven year-old boy, his mother and two grandparents were taken onboard, while the father stayed behind, seeking the relative shelter of a reservoir, not knowing if the helicopter would return and whether he would survive.
CBS Sacramento quoted Lowe as saying: “These are people who think they're never going to see their family again. And at that point, to see the father put the family first, was touching. I have five kids, and that's the same decision I would have made. But I hope I never have to make that decision.”
The man was picked up later in what would prove to be just one of many rescues in a seven-hour mission that involved a second helicopter. In all, 42 people, five dogs and a cat were airlifted to safety over some 20 trips.