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A Russian man who sought asylum in the United States three years ago drew global praise for rescuing a american flag of a house on fire during the California wildfires.
Sultan Ramazanov was driving through forest fires in Change with a friend on Jan. 7, when he saw a house engulfed in flames.
He said he had never seen a wildfire and was worried about the town he now calls home.
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“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ramazanov told Fox News Digital. “I heard about the California fires in 2020, but now it was the first time (being near a wildfire), and you know, it was really scary. When I saw how stockade fire “When I moved through the mountains, I was really afraid of our city.”
Seeing the symbolic red, white and blue flag near hell, he asked his friend to stop.
“I told my friend, ‘Let me at least save the flag,'” Ramazanov said. “I tried to get it and it was a little difficult, it took me a few minutes.”
Vehicles and a home burn as strong winds spread devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area on January 8. (Reuters/David Swanson)
In the video, he is seen reaching out through the thick black smoke, carefully unclipping the tattered banner from a flagpole in front of the house.
The flag was visibly charred on one side, with a red stripe hanging toward the ground.
Ramazanov is shown walking somberly away from the burning house, the flag’s white stars delicately folded and tucked into his arms.
After the rescue, his friend told him he captured the heroic action on video, and Ramazanov decided to share it on Instagram in hopes of connecting with the owners and returning what could be one of the only possessions they had left.
Sultan Ramazanov carries an American flag he removed from a flagpole in front of a burning house in Altadena, California, during the wildfires. (news)
“I just posted it and a guy shared it and said, ‘Look at this, Jason Statham “Double Saved the American Flag” and it went viral,” he said. “It got 10 million views and really helped me find the family who owned the flag. “I am very grateful to the people who shared the video.”
As of Wednesday night, the post had more than 270,000 likes and nearly 30,000 shares on the platform.
While Ramazanov received some fraudulent calls of people who claimed to be the owners of the house, finally connected with its owner, a 74-year-old man.
A store destroyed after the Eaton fire on Tuesday in Altadena, California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
He told Ramazanov that he was very grateful and had been worried about the flag.
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The couple plans to meet over the weekend to return and learn each other’s stories.
“It’s the flag of our country, that’s why I decided to save it,” Ramazanov said. “The United States gave us a lot and I am very grateful to this country. I almost have my documents here and I got asylum here. Now, the American flag is also a symbol for me and my family.”
