Marines Save Lives in Local Motel Fire

When things are hitting the fan in a hurry, who are you gonna call? Community organizers...or Marines?

LAKE FOREST - Residents of a Lake Forest motel are crediting six on-leave Camp Pendleton Marines with saving their lives when a six-alarm fire broke out this morning in the motel.

The fire started at 7:56 a.m. at Americas Best Value Inn at 23150 Lake Center Drive, according to OCFA Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion.

The cause of the fire is unknown and two, two-story wood-framed buildings at the motel are probably a total loss, Concepcion said. The fire, which displaced between 100 and 150 people, was contained about 11 a.m.

Residents said six Marines who were staying at the motel banged on windows and doors, dodged through flames, yelled at residents to get out and helped those still in their rooms to collect their belongings.

Amy Amadito-Phelps, who was staying in a room on the second-floor of the third-story structure, said she, her husband and 14-month-old son would probably have died if not for the Marines.

"We were right next to a room completely on fire and we couldn't smell smoke," Amadito-Phelps said. "No fire alarms were going off. The only thing we heard was Marines banging on our windows and telling us to get out."

Marine Pvt. Colton Oliver said he and two other Marines were walking along the second-story landing about 8 a.m. when they noticed flames shooting out behind a soda machine. They saw smoke streaming out of some of the rooms and decided to act.

Oliver, Pvt. Josh Hernandez and Pvt. 1st Class Thomas O'Brien ran along the corridor, knocking on doors and windows to make sure everybody got out. The other Marines joined in.

Hernandez carried one older man out from his room, they said, and ran directly under flames to help residents, they said. He was treated with oxygen after the fire.
"Everybody was out by the time the firefighters got here," Oliver said. "It's what we're trained to do."

Kenneth Evans, who was staying on the second floor, said the Marines saved his life.

"The fire was blazing and smoking, but they kept yelling that there was a fire and got everybody out. I'd probably be dead now if not for them."

OCFA Capt. Steve Pardi acknowledged that the six Marines were the first to take action in their building.

"I'd call them absolute heroes," he said.

Semper fi.

We drove by the area about 90 minutes after the fire started and there will still a good amount of smoke coming up, and the buildings are clearly gone. Nice work by all involved.