The image has been shared thousands of times and brought freelance photographer Josh Edelson messages of thanks from both home and abroad.
As dusk turned to night Saturday, three firefighters battling flames and protecting homes in the path of a growing wildfire in Oroville, Calif., took an extra few moments to take down and safeguard an American flag that was hanging from a house balcony before moving on to the next home.
The flag wasn’t huge, maybe 4 by 6 feet, but was flammable and vulnerable to burning from ambient heat which could then ignite the house, said Russell Fowler, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The crew was part of a five-engine team protecting about 50 homes in the path of the 5,800-acre Wall fire and they were tasked with clearing out brush and items from the outside that could burn and ignite homes in the neighborhood, Fowler said.
It was amid this chaos, with propane tanks exploding, power lines falling down and tall flames inching forward that the three firefighters made a quick decision to grab the flag.
“We’re not going to let the symbol of Americans’ freedom perish in the fire,” Fowler said.
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From left, firefighters Aaron Williams, Lyle Bennett Robert Larios and Captain Crawford Gunn, with San Bernardino National Forest put out hot spots Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 2/25
A burned sign warns of fire danger at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3/25
Metal boats burned in the Whittier Fire at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4/25
Firefighter Aaron Williams with San Bernardino National Forest works to put out hot spots Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5/25
A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press) 6/25
Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches near Oroville.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press) 7/25
A charred desk rests outside a residence after a wildfire burned through the property near Oroville.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press) 8/25
Lake Cachuma is the backdrop for the gray ashen landscape as the Whittier fire continues to burn on the western flank on the north side of the Santa Ynez Mountains Monday afternoon along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 9/25
Little remains of the structures burned at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 10/25
Santa Barbara Deputy Sheriff B. Bruening, left, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife game warden Max Magleby view a jeep that was abandoned and scorched by the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 11/25
A firefighting helicopter draws water from Lake Cachuma while fighting the Whittier fire in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 12/25
A firefighting helicopter gets into position to make a water drop on the Whittier fire as it burns toward State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 13/25
Structures and vehicles burned at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 14/25
U.S. Forest Service firefighters put out spot fires from the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 15/25
The remains of a structure and boats scorched by the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 16/25
The Whittier fire burns toward State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 17/25
A smokey pall hangs over Santa Barbara from a new wildfire near Lake Cachuma.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 18/25
Firefighters look on as a helicopter drops water on the Alamo fire near Santa Maria.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 19/25
A hot spot burns ahead of the Alamo fire near Santa Maria.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 20/25
A firefighter maneuvers his vehicle down a private road as the Alamo fire burns near Santa Maria.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 21/25
The Whittier fire burns through the night near Santa Barbara. The Whittier fire and the Alamo fire.
(David McNew / Getty Images) 22/25
Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a road near Oroville. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods, leveling homes in its path.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23/25
Doors lay in a pile of rubble after a fire tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 24/25
A car and house are engulfed in flames as the Wall fire burns through a residential area in Oroville.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 25/25
Sean Greenlaw views his truck covered in fire retardant as a smoke plume billows in the background near Oroville.
(Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) Edelson, who photographed the firefighters, said he came upon the scene when he moved to the rear of the house where he’d spotted flames from the front. He saw the firefighters spray down brush and weeds to create a barrier between the fire and the neighborhood.
Firefighters only have a few minutes to spend at each house before moving onto the next one, Fowler said. The men were finishing up at the home that had the flag when Edelson showed up.
“They did a pretty good containment line around the house. There was this sort of moment of brief calm,” Edelson said. “They turned around and saw the flag there and it was pretty high up. They discussed it for a split second, made a snap decision to take it down.”
The men are illuminated in orange and red haze in the shot. Two of the firefighters are supporting a third, who is holding onto a balcony railing with his right hand and taking down the American flag with his left, the stars and stripes flapping in the wind.
The men then rolled the flag up and stored it elsewhere on the property, Fowler said.
“They didn’t know there was a photographer in the area that happened to snap that photo and post it,” Fowler said.
It wasn’t until Edelson posted it on Facebook and it was shared thousands of times among Oroville locals that word got back to the firefighters.
Fowler said he called them into his office recently to discuss the flag incident with them.
“They’re very humble. They’re like, ‘Oh my God, we’re in trouble,’” Fowler recalled. “I said: ‘Guys, you’re not in any trouble. You did a good thing.’”
While some on social media have questioned the firefighters’ priorities, the overwhelming response has been positive, Fowler said.
Edelson said it’s the most popular photograph he’s ever taken in his 10 years of shooting.
“I think it’s because our country is really, kind of, sort of in a rut. We’ve been going through a lot with everything happening politically, we’ve really sorely needed a positive hero moment to boost our morale,” Edelson said. “I think this is sort of representing that.”
joseph.serna@latimes.com
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
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