Teen recovers after chimney fell on him during earthquake

NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- A 13-year-old boy is recovering after a chimney collapsed on him during the powerful earthquake that rocked the Bay Area early Sunday morning. Nicholas Dillon was sleeping right next to the fire place when the quake hit.

Bits and pieces of brick and mortar, the remnants of the fireplace, have all been piled in the backyard.

Dillon's aunt, Carmen Rosales, says the 13-year-old tried to move before it all came crashing down.

"He jolted upwards to reach for his friend, yell his name," Rosales said. "And as he was crawling away, with the shaking, the bricks fell on him."

The teen's best friend, Imnol Villanueva, was just inches away.

"Then he yelled my name," Villanueva said, "Like, in pain. And I said his name. And after a few seconds of that, his parents came over."

Villanueva is clearly still emotional about watching his friend get hurt. His mother let ABC7 News talk with him for just a few minutes.

He says they were both doing math homework in Dillon's living room Saturday night and fell asleep, but were shaken awake by the quake Sunday morning.

Dillon made it through an intensive nine hour surgery and is now recovering at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

"He himself has said he's thankful that he was able to move from where he was laying under the fireplace," Rosales said.

If he hadn't tried to get away from the falling bricks and warn his friend, the situation could have been much worse.

His family said they had the fireplace worked on years ago after a prior quake, so they're surprised it came down

His best friend tells us he's hoping for a fast recovery.

"I support him, and so do all of his friends and family," Villanueva said.

The good news Monday afternoon was that Dillon is showing good signs of improvement. His condition has gone from critical to serious.