Under rain-soaked skies, the La Cañada Flintridge community this week mourned the loss of Jacob Seong, who perished in a house fire on Jan. 30.
The 67-year-old Seong was a beloved member of the La Cañada Presbyterian Church choir.
LCPC choir director Jack Lantz told the Outlook Valley Sun that everybody loved Seong and the energy he brought to rehearsal.
“He was a first tenor, and sang very well,” said Lantz. “He could read the music very easily and didn’t have to practice beforehand. He was also a very deeply loving and thoughtful person. A very faithful Christian.”
Lantz said Seong would even take the time after rehearsals to get to know the others in the choir.
The choir was shocked to hear the news of Seong’s death.
“He was probably the healthiest guy in the choir, but he couldn’t get out of the fire,” said Lantz. “How could this happen? It’s shockingly tragic. We are going to miss him and it’s a big loss.”
In rehearsal last week, Lantz said that the choir held its own service to let members talk about Seong and how much they loved and respected him.
A memorial service took place at the church on Monday where friends and family paid their respects, Lantz said.
The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station were first to arrive at the scene of the house fire and were able to make an impact in a short time, officials said.
Two out of the three residents of the house that caught fire in the early morning in the 2000 block of Rancho Cañada Road survived with the help of five deputies from the Sheriff’s station.
The Sheriff’s station received the 911 call and deputies Christopher Fort, Andre Cornejo, Mitchell Laudano, Eduardo Olmos and Joyce Lee sprang into action as they were minutes away from the fire.
The deputies were able to save one resident trapped inside the house on the second floor before fire officials came to extinguish the fire.
“Thankfully, we don’t get these calls very often, but when we do and if we’re the first there and somebody is in need, our deputies are going to do the best they can to help,” said Sgt. John Gilbert.
The deputies put their lives on the line to save the trapped resident, especially considering they lacked proper equipment and training that a firefighter has, Gilbert said.
“It’s extremely risky for us to go into these scenarios, because we don’t even have the safety equipment and the risk mitigation that the firefighters have,” said Gilbert. “But there are times where you don’t really have time to think about it, and you have to make a decision on what you’re going to do. So luckily, it seems like they threaded the needle perfectly on this one.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
First published in the February 8 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
