A wildfire erupted in the Angeles National Forest—a park in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. Sigrid Hopson, age 60, was alone in her home with her three dogs when she noticed walls of blazing fire roaring toward her house. She called for help. Two deputies, Paul Archambault and John Rose (who both knew Hopson), drove their Ford Expedition through walls of flames to save her. Dodging rockslides on remote mountain roads, they had to stop about 200 meters from the home because the fire was too fierce. Just as Rose ran to the house a gunshot rang out. When he got closer, he saw Hopson holding a gun to her head and a dead dog lying at her feet. The woman was about to shoot herself to avoid being burned to death.

The deputy yelled, "Don't shoot! It's Rose."

He ordered Hopson to drop the gun, but she said she had to shoot the dogs. Meanwhile walls of flames were roaring toward the vehicle and her house. Rose grabbed the gun, got her in the vehicle, and they drove away. The vehicle drove down the narrow pass, through walls of flaming chaparral. On the way, two tires melted, but they kept driving. The engine seized because of the excessive heat, and the vehicle stopped. But they were below the fire line and were able to walk out to safety.