hose

"The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow," said a man surnamed Suen.

Firefighters wielding fire hoses struggled to temper the blaze, which roared into the night and through the next day.

Fire experts note that, even if the state restricted mop-up in some way, firefighters did not have to leave; they could have patrolled the area longer, used thermal imaging technology and left hose lines out.

The manager turned off the vacuum, recoiled hoses and exhaled with relief.

Robertson said his legal team also interviewed an L.A. firefighter who was on the burn scar on the morning of Jan. 2, who said a battalion chief told him to roll up hoses and leave.