Meet The Los Gatos House Fire Hero

Joel Macias, 42, doesn't consider himself a hero, but his four construction worker friends on Lavender Lane in Los Gatos do.

On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after 1 p.m., Macias noticed smoke coming out of the roof of a two-story home at 16341 Lavender Lane.

He said he ran across the street from his construction site to knock on homeowner Dave Bunt's door, who was taking a nap.

"I knocked on the door and nobody answered, but when I noticed the garage was opened, I entered through there and found the man sleeping," Macias said in Spanish. "I yelled at him that his house was burning and he came out quickly."

Macias said he asked Bunt if others were inside the dwelling to help them get out, but the homeowner said he was alone.

When they came out, he said he went to the back of the property where flames could be seen shooting up in the air from the attic to make sure nobody else was on the grounds.

Macias, who works for the Latala Homes construction company, said Bunt thanked him for waking him up and gave him a hug.

Bunt's next-door neighbor called 911.

Within minutes, half the home was destroyed even after 60 firefighting personnel tried to extinguish the flames and prevent the inferno from spreading into other houses in close proximity.

"No soy un heroe," Macias said, which means, "I'm not a hero."

"Cualquier persona hubiera hecho eso." Translation: "Anybody else would have done the same."

Originally from Mexico, Macias worked in Cuernavaca as a welder and said he's always liked helping people "cuando se puede," or "when possible."

He recalled saving a friend from drowning when he was 16 years old in the Astillero river. "It's like a lake and we would go in and I remember seeing that he was drowning. I jumped in and he held onto my shoulders pushing me down, but we swam to shore."

Macias has lived in the United States for 14 years with his wife and three children. He resides in Morgan Hill.

On Wednesday, Santa Clara County Fire Deputy Chief Steve Prziborowski said about half the home was destroyed, with most of the damage occurring on the second floor, attic and part of the first floor.

On Thursday, insurance adjuster Kip Martin, who's handling the fire, expressed regret at the significant loss caused by the fast-moving blaze.

"It's just a travesty," Martin said. "The owners have lost all of their personal property. The home's damage is very severe. It's going to take at least a year to get them back into their house ... We're just lucky that the homeowner got out alive."

ALSO ON LOS GATOS PATCH:

• Los Gatos House Fire on Lavender Lane