100-year-old saved by cops as California wildfire raged, video shows. ‘Don’t lose me’
With nothing but the light of her flashlight to lead the way, a California deputy desperately searched in darkness.
Deputy Quinn Alkoni rushed through a senior living apartment complex in Altadena on Jan. 8 looking for anyone who may be inside the building as the Eaton Fire raged and evacuations orders ensued.
Body camera footage shared by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows the harrowing moments.
“Sheriff’s department,” Alkoni calls. “Anyone inside?”
Alkoni rushes to a balcony window; for a moment, she’s frozen.
“Oh my gosh,” she says, peering out the window where the fire can be seen raging with massive smoke billowing.
But then, it’s back to work.
“Sheriff’s department,” Alkoni says. “Anybody inside? We gotta evacuate.”
The hallways are quiet, aside from another deputy, Nicholas Martinez, knocking on doors and calling out.
“Hello?” Alkoni calls out again.
A very faint voice can be heard in the distance.
“Hello?” Martinez yells. “Where you at?”
The pair of deputies rush down the hallway.
Then, slowly, a woman with a walker comes from around the corner.
“Oh, hi,” Martinez says. “OK. Perfect. Is there anyone else with you?”
“No,” the woman says.
Alkoni asks the woman where she’s been.
“I’ve been trying to find a way out,” she says.
“Let’s get you outta here,” Martinez says.
“Don’t lose me,” the woman says.
“I promise, I won’t,” Martinez says.
Alkoni also assures her they will not lose her and asks if she heard their calls.
“I didn’t hear. I’m deaf,” the woman says. “I couldn’t charge my hearing aids. I’m 100.”
The deputies then guided the woman out of the building, deputies said in a Tuesday, Jan. 28, news release.
“In the face of adversity, these deputies took immediate action,” Sheriff Robert Luna said in the release. “Their swift response under extreme pressure is a true reflection of their commitment.”
Altadena is about a 15-mile drive northeast from downtown Los Angeles.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 2:34 PM with the headline "100-year-old saved by cops as California wildfire raged, video shows. ‘Don’t lose me’."
