Neighbors team to extinguish a hedge fire

Rose Village — Alan Panage said he has never been close to his neighbor across the street, but none of that was going through his head when he saw his neighbor’s hedges on fire.

Panage said he was at his home in the 2700 block of Grand Boulevard at about 7 p.m. July 6 when he heard the loud bang of a firework. He went outside and saw a hedge on his neighbor’s property across the street on fire.

While he called 911, Panage’s wife went to get the hose to extinguish the fire, but the hose didn’t stretch far enough. Another neighbor attached a hose and got water to the burning hedge.

While the homeowner used his hose on the flames, another set of neighbors helped by using buckets to douse the blaze.

“Between everybody, we got the fire out before the fire department got out here,” Panage said.

About 20 feet of the 35 feet of hedges were destroyed, and his house was singed, Panage said. “It was neat how neighbors came to help out another neighbor,” he said.