On Monday night a remorseless vandal tried to light the outdoor tents on fire at The Train Depot Restaurant in central Fresno.
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"You see him walk down the sidewalk and whatever he had in his mouth, I don't think it was a lighter, it had been in his mouth and he walks over and he just sets it on fire," she said.
But while one passerby tried to destroy, another tried to save.
A woman passing by started stomping on the fire with her flip flops on, then called to a nearby liquor store owner who brought a fire extinguisher, buying precious time until firefighters arrived.
Escovedo's relief is overwhelming especially because her original location, at First and McKinley, burned down 8 years ago when a nearby laundromat caught fire.
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This close call brought a rush of memories.
"To get there and have to clean up the fire and get that in my hands and my nails and smell the smell that we lost everything 8 years ago, it was very devastating," she said.
Now Escovedo just wants to find the good samaritan who saved her restaurant from repeating a horrible history, offering gratitude and a good meal.
"I would love to buy her breakfast and just thank her," she said.