A southwest valley family had a close call Sunday night during holiday celebrations.
Richard and Martha Horner woke up in the middle of the night to find a fire blazing in their backyard because neighbors were setting off fireworks nearby.
They opened the blinds to their bedroom window to find the flames a few feet away.
"If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction, it could've gotten closer to my house, could've taken us out before it got to the kids," Martha Horner said.
A large chunk of their lawn is scorched black, and the heat melted a garden hose and a toy plastic wagon.
A good Samaritan knocked on the Horners' door because he saw the smoke rising from their backyard.
"I am so thankful," Horner said. "He is my guardian angel right now. We're all safe and we're very happy to be safe."
When the Horners go to their own 4th of July party, they'll get away from what remains of their yard for a few hours, including the black patch that serves as an ugly reminder of what might have been.
"This is the closest we've ever come to losing something so important," Horner said. "And I could care less about the house. It's my kids."
