'I Would Not Be Alive Without You': Carmichael Man Reunites With Firefighter Who Saved Him From House Fire
CARMICHAEL (CBS13) — It was a reunion one year in the making. Dave Mealey Jr. met with the firefighter who he now calls his hero.
"It's a moment you cannot forget because this is the person who actually saved your life," Mealey Jr. said. "And I went through hell in the hospital, but I'm here."
On the afternoon of July 2, 2021, Sacramento Metro Fire Engine 31 was called to a Carmichael home on reports of a fire.
Mealey Jr. was napping when the smoke alarms went off. He said he ran outside and saw flames threatening his sanctuary of more than 40 years, but in a panic, he went back inside to get his wallet.
"And that was my mistake," he said. "I collapsed in front of the vanity."
Mealey Jr. suffered third-degree burns to his face and hands, and he eventually passed out due to carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning.
It would be firefighter Tyler Williamson who was charged with getting any victims out of the home, and he did just that, breaking the window to the master bedroom to hand Mealey Jr.'s lifeless body over to his partner on the other side.
"The neighbor is the one who told me there was a victim in there," Williamson said. "If we didn't have fire attack going on, if we didn't have water supply and all these other things, firefighters can't do the things we all did that day."
One year later, behind the front door still scarred with black char, the men embraced in the spot they first crossed paths, surrounded by wood framing and plywood floors as Mealey Jr. rebuilds the home he once lived in with his parents.
For his brave service, Williamson received the commendation of valor award.
"The department wanted to give me something in highlighting that, and I think it's only fair to give it to you," he told Mealey Jr.
And on Monday, he gifted the prestigious pin to the man he saved.
"Just overwhelming kindness, that I don't necessarily deserve, but it was there," Mealey Jr. said.
"I was just a member of the fire department doing my job, and any other firefighter in this agency would have acted accordingly," Williamson said.
For Mealey Jr., he may have lost his home, but he has a whole new perspective on life.
"I would not be alive without you guys, don't think that falls short," he said.
"It tugs on your heartstrings to meet somebody that you make a difference on, on any call, let alone one as impactful for me as this call,"