He described how he was defending a home, fighting a small landscape fire, when an explosion of fire engulfed him as he released water onto flames near a garbage can. “It all happened so fast I had no chance to do anything but just take it,” he said. Hertzog said the scariest part of his experience was that, right after the explosion, he couldn’t feel his face and he didn’t know what it looked like for several hours. At the press conference in Sutter Hill, Hertzog’s face was still covered with protective bandages. Doctors have told him he should have a full recovery with no scarring – but he said his new skin is so tight it hurts to smile.

During Hertzog’s 6-day stay at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, he received a phone call from Governor Schwarzenegger as well as unexpected visit from actor/comedian Adam Sandler. Hertzog is a student at California State University Chico, and plans on returning to CAL FIRE next summer as a seasonal firefighter, just as he has for the past three years. "This experience scared me obviously at first, but it wasn't significant enough to make me not want to do it again," said Hertzog. He’ll be traveling back to the Grossman Burn Center next week for follow-up treatment, before he returns to his own home in Chico.