An Eaton Fire survivor is thanking the crew of Riverside County firefighters that sprung into action in early-January, sparing her house from the devastating flames that razed thousands of other buildings to the ground.
"Everything all across the street was in flames," recalled Deborah Ross, the Altadena woman who made it through the tragedy, along with her home. "Embers this big floating through the air. It was like a dream or something."
When the blaze erupted on Jan. 7, Ross said she began to panic.
"I was screaming and hollering and I got real scared," she said, recounting how she grabbed her garden hose and hoped for the best.
As she watched flames ripping through homes surrounding her, and dark ash filling the sky, she recalls seeing a different flash of red.
"Then the two trucks pulled up," she said. "This big tall White guy gets out of the fire truck and he jumps up and says, 'My name is Will and I'm getting ready to save your house!'"
Ross couldn't believe her eyes, doubting that the crews would be able to push back the flames.
"While he was walking I said, 'You don't give a blink about my house,' and he said, 'Ma'am, I am not gonna let your house burn down,'" Ross said.
They didn't. She says her home suffered some smoke damage, but that's all.
Now, four weeks later, she's hoping to pass a message to the men she calls her heroes.
"Will! If you're out there, thank you. I love you guys!" Ross said.
After doing a little digging, KCAL News' Joy Benedict was able to locate the group of firefighters that saved the day -- all from CalFire Riverside Station 73 located in Temecula.
She connected Ross with her saviors over the phone on Monday, much to her delight. She passed on her words of thanks and respect for their hard work in the face of unprecedented conditions.
"I need to see Will to give him a big hug and tell him thank you," Ross said. "Those guys saved my house!"
Captain Will Smith has been fighting fires for more than two decades, but he says Ross stood out to him for a number of reasons.
"Her stubbornness," Smith said. "She was very adamant about staying and defending her home."
He says that his crew was already on shift when they were dispatched to the Eaton Fire that Tuesday evening. They were already on the job for over 24 hours when one of his crew members, Cameron Cable, spotted Ms. Ross.
"I was surprised to find an old lady with a sweet looking hat trying to put that house out with a firehose," Cable said. "It's a good memory to have. Definitely won't forget it, won't forget her."