L.A. wildfires: Winnipeg firefighter joins battle in California [Video]

A Winnipeg firefighter with over two decades of experience found himself joining the fight against one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history.

Lieutenant Romeo Petit with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was on vacation with his girlfriend near Pasadena earlier this week when wildfires began to spread through coastal California.

“We knew there were forest fires happening around the area. However, we didn’t think they were going to reach where we were staying,” he told CTV Morning Live Winnipeg in an interview Friday.

However, Petit learned Tuesday night a wildfire was engulfing a mountain near a friend’s home where he was staying with his girlfriend.

They scrambled to pack their things and left, driving through a main road on the mountain that serves as the primary artery in and out of the community.

“As we were going up the hill, we see this fire on the mountain. …