A Stroke of Fortune, 2 Very Good Buddies Save a Man’s Castle

When Dave Atwater bought his home on the rim of a canyon, he knew that a brush fire was a major hazard.

So when he built a deck out back to take advantage of his expansive view of Mission Valley, he took the extra precaution of installing sprinklers to wet down the canyon wall.

What he didn’t realize was that a stroke of luck and the kindness of friends would turn out to be more important.

Atwater was visiting Balboa Park with friends at about noon Sunday when the fire that ultimately destroyed 47 homes in Normal Heights paid a visit to his block.

But fortunately for Atwater, his friends Mike Ryan and Mark Larson happened to be driving by on Interstate 8 at the time.

Ryan and Larson, La Mesa residents, said they were driving home from the beach when they noticed a brush fire climbing the canyon. It wasn’t far from their friend’s home, so they decided to pull off the freeway.

They knocked on their friend’s door on Cliff Place. Realizing no one was home, they went to the back and turned on the sprinklers.

Ryan climbed onto the peaked, highly combustible shake-shingle roof with a garden hose. He was spraying one side--the side nearest the fire--when he heard Atwater’s neighbor shouting.

An ember had touched down on the other side of the roof, setting it aflame. Ryan aimed the hose and extinguished a fire that, unchecked, promised to destroy Atwater’s home.

The three-foot edge of the roof was scorched, as was a spot of the canyon some 40 feet from Atwater’s home.

Eleven homes ultimately were lost on the street.

While all this was happening, Atwater heard about the fire on the radio. Realizing his home was in danger, he drove home.

With traffic clogging Interstate 8, Atwater pulled his car to the side of the freeway and made the long climb up the canyon wall, only to find his pals Ryan and Larson holding the hoses.

“These guys were heroes,” Atwater said.

Aware he might not be so lucky next time, Atwater said he plans to rip out the weeds behind his house and put in iceplant. And he might also do something about that roof.