FOX 11 viewers help Hollywood Hills couple meet ‘mystery hero’ who helped save home from fire
Couple reunited with man who saved house from wildfire
A Hollywood couple got a chance to reunite with the good Samaritan who saved their house, and their neighbors, from being burned down by the Los Angeles wildfires.
LOS ANGELES - Thanks to FOX 11 viewers, a Hollywood Hills couple has finally met the man who helped save their home from the Sunset Fire.
Vince Brocato and his wife, Candice, had been searching for the Good Samaritan who appeared on their Ring security camera on Jan. 8, telling them their home was burning and successfully put out the flames. That "mystery hero" is Tony Alvarez, a Los Angeles photographer and former New York firefighter who rushed to help when he saw the flames from his nearby apartment.
"I felt my building was safe, so I came out here and was just trying to do what I could do," Tony said. "The fire was advancing, and I realized — there's no resources."
Tony said he had seen reports of other fires in the region stretching resources thin, and he knew residents had evacuated.
"When I saw your house, I was like — this house is the first house on the hill that could be the catalyst to the whole block going up — especially with all the fuel in your house with three stories," he told Vince and Candice. With the help of a garden hose, he and a firefighter worked tirelessly to extinguish flames on the home's third-floor deck.
The couple invited Alvarez to their home on Wednesday, where they watched video of the fire together.
"This house is on fire already," Tony said in his recording, prompting gasps from Brocato and Candice.
"What do you get someone who did this, right?" Candice said as she and Vince presented Tony with a bag of gifts, including a new hoodie and a fire blanket.
"You're a good man. Good man," Brocato said, patting Alvarez on the shoulder.
"Thank you, oh thank you," Candice added.
Tony can be found on Instagram: @life.of.tony