'Hope You're Hanging In OK': Firefighter's Kind Gesture Leaves Somerset Homeowners Thankful
SOMERSET (CBS13) - Sometimes it's the simplest of gestures that mean the most. An evacuated couple in Somerset feels a sense of relief all thanks to a Caldor firefighter that took a few extra minutes to ease their minds.
The saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words," but the photo Doug Bailey and Crystyn Chase received may mean even more.
"It just warmed my heart. It brought tears to my eyes," Bailey said, thankful as he - like thousands of others - wondered about his home during the Caldor Fire.
The couple evacuated and left a note on their home saying so, with their phone numbers listed. Their hope was that law enforcement could move along, knowing they were already gone. Days later, a firefighter near their home noticed the sign and sent the pair a text message.
"Hi! We have kept the fire away from your house so far. It's still pretty hairy out there but your street is doing good as of now. Just thought you'd appreciate knowing. Hope you are hanging in there ok," it read, with a selfie of the firefighter in front of their home attached.
"If you blow up that photo, we could see the yard in the reflection on his sunglasses," Bailey and Chase said. "We don't even know his name."
The firefighter is staying anonymous, but his message was simple and powerful for these two.
"The fire is surrounding our house on three sides right now," Chase said, worried about what could come as the blaze rips through thousands of acres. Not far from their home is Grizzly Flats, which was mostly leveled by fire last week.
"Even though our house is still standing, there's still an amount of guilt I feel that other people have lost their homes and we didn't," Bailey said.
But Bailey and Chase continue looking for hope, knowing their community is in good hands with firefighters like the one who sent a friendly text.
"Above and beyond the call of duty," Chase said.
One of her neighbors told Chase another firefighter communicated with their family using their ring doorbell, to alert them that their home was OK.