Russian man saves American flag outside burning California home: 'A symbol to me and my family'
A Russian man who sought asylum in the U.S. three years ago sparked global praise for rescuing an American flag from a burning home during the California wildfires.
Sultan Ramazanov was driving through the wildfires in Altadena 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 city he now calls home.
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"I never saw something like that," Ramazanov told Fox News Digital. "I heard about the California fires in 2020, but now it was my first time [being near a wildfire], and you know, it was really scary. When I saw how the Palisades Fire moved through the mountains, I really was scared about our city."
Spotting the symbolic red, white and blue flag near the inferno, he asked his friend to pull over.
"I told my friend, ‘Let me save, at least, the flag,’" Ramazanov said. "I tried to get it, and it was a little bit hard, it took a few minutes."
In the video, he is seen reaching up amid the heavy, black smoke, carefully unhooking the shredded banner from a flag pole in front of the home.
The flag was visibly charred on one side, with one red stripe dangling down toward the ground.
Ramazanov is shown somberly walking away from the burning home, with the flag's white stars delicately folded and tucked in 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 homeowners – returning what may be one of their only remaining possessions.
"I just posted it and some guy shared it and said, ‘Look at this, Jason Statham lookalike saved the American flag,’ and it went viral," he said. "It got 10 million views, and it really helped me to find the family who owned the flag. I'm very thankful 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 a few scam calls from people claiming to be the owners of the home, he finally connected with its owner, a 74-year-old man.
He told Ramazanov that he was very thankful and said he had been worried about the flag.
The pair plan on meeting over the weekend to make the return and learn each other's stories.
"It's our country's flag, so that's why I decided to save it," Ramazanov said. "The United States gave us a lot, and I'm very thankful to this country. I almost [have] my documents here, and I got asylum here. Now, the American flag is also a symbol to me and to my family."