California has become an epicenter of wildfires. And it was just one such fire that began raging out of control in San Bernardino that put the lives of one young family at risk.
The fire, fed and propelled by high winds, and moving at 60 miles per hour, was traveling with swift relentlessness towards the home of Marcy and Henry Zavala and their four children. The family, who had turned in for the night, were unaware of the danger of the fire that had erupted outside their home.
It was at 2 a.m. when an authentic Superman flew into action. A doorbell camera caught the awesome footage as neighbor Paul Peterson, dressed in a Superman shirt, braved the fire to warn the sleeping family of the jeopardy. Bursting onto the scene, Peterson, now known to the Zavala family as Superman, began yelling and pounding at the door to alert the vulnerable family of the imminent threat.
In incredible footage, recorded by a doorbell camera that captured the scene, Peterson risked his own life to come to his neighbors’ aid. Peterson is recorded yelling at full-throated volume as he pounds on the door, “Henry! Henry! Come on! Get out! Get out of here!” Superman is nothing, if not persistent, as the world now knows by viewing the scene. Peterson held his watch at the Zavala residence until he was confident that the family had heard him, and that they were aware of and responding to the emergency.
Marcy Zavala expressed her gratitude to her neighbor by declaring, “He is Superman!” She explained that the family, on learning of the fire threat, went into immediate evacuation mode. “As soon I heard the knock, I knew it was a fire. I looked outside to see how close it was, to see how much time we had, and it was a lot closer than I could have imagined.”
Fortunately, the fire, which damaged 18 houses and destroyed six homes, caused no injuries, in large parts thanks to the quick-thinking and heroic actions of Superman, Paul Peterson, flying into action and helping to guard the Zavala family.
Forced to flee before the flames, it was days before the Zavala family was able to return to their beloved home. It was then that they finally had the opportunity to express their heartfelt gratitude to Peterson. Marcy Zavala’s eyes filled with tears as she emotionally expressed her reaction, rewarding Peterson with a radiant smile and a hug. In an interview with “Inside Edition,” she said, “I just thank god he gave us enough time to get out of here.”
Expressing the family’s response to the fire, Marcy explained that although the Zavala family at first believed that they would never see their home again, thanks to Peterson, and the courage and hard work of the San Bernardino fighters, it was Superheroes who protected and preserved her neighborhood.
