Dramatic moment off-duty fire captain rushes to save people trapped in SoCal inferno

An off-duty Orange County Fire Authority captain ran into a burning nail salon in Mission Viejo to check that customers had escaped after an electric vehicle crashed into the building and caught fire. His quick response, alongside firefighters who diverted from another call, helped stop the blaze from spreading severely to neighbouring businesses.

The crash happened at Blossom Nails & Spa at about 11.42am on Wednesday. OCFA Captain Chris Chang was nearby, as were an Engine 12 captain and engineer, who were first on scene after hearing the fire dispatch; two firefighter-paramedics in the ambulance they had been following were taking a patient to hospital. The incident adds to concerns over fires involving electric vehicles and their lithium-ion batteries, including fatal and injury-causing crashes in California.