>> bill hudder hears the blast from inside his apartment and along with his neighbors steps into the street to investigate. >> i pulled out my camera. this fireball just kept coming and coming. it didn't seem like there was any end to it. >> everybody get back! >> and i was just standing there in amazement. looked like something out of a movie when i first saw it. >> charlie barringer and ron lavezzo are among the first firefighters to arrive. they have nearly 50 years of experience between them. but this fire is unlike anything they've ever seen. >> i was kind of astounded by the range of the fire, the number of houses that were actually on fire and three burning. the fire was unstoppable at one point because it was leaping from house to house to house. >> it was basically a 360-degree fire with a main fireball in the middle.