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Altadena neighbors surprise firefighter who left them heartwarming letter

Neighbors thank Washington firefighter who left heartwarming note during Eaton Fire
Neighbors thank Washington firefighter who left heartwarming note during Eaton Fire 02:49

Still reeling from the Eaton Fire, an Altadena neighborhood vowed to find the firefighter who left them a heartwarming letter of hope and perseverance. 

"It's not just a note for us," James Lemos said. "It's an instruction manual. It's to help us get through it."

With flames raging out of control, James and his neighbors fled their homes as firefighters rushed to protect the community. However, firefighters had little chance of stopping embers from spreading with other crews battling the Palisades Fire on the other side of Los Angeles County and the Santa Ana winds grounding any air support.

"The conditions, that night, were unbearable," LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during an interview with 60 Minutes. "It was a devil wind that came out, you know, that extreme Santa Ana wind condition."

With local departments overwhelmed by the two monumental disasters, firefighters from nearby states, including Arizona, Utah, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington, traveled to Southern California to help bolster the ranks. Jayme Morgan from Lacamas Prairie, a natural reserve near the Oregon-Washington border, was among the firefighters who helped on the frontlines.

"I work for the Washington Department of Natural Resources — it's basically our Cal Fire," Morgan said. "It was an honor to come down there. I didn't really understand how hard it was going to hit me emotionally."

As the winds died down and allowed water and retardant-dropping aircraft to join the operation along the hillsides, Morgan and his fellow firefighters moved to Altadena, the community the fire damaged the most. 

The Eaton Fire destroyed 9,418 structures and damaged another 1,073. According to Cal Fire's preliminary numbers, it is the second-most destructive wildfire in California history and the deadliest wildfire in LA County history since 1933. 

"The entire neighborhood is basically gone," Lemos' neighbor Jody Scott said. "We're really a close, tight-knit community and just to have it all decimated like that by this crazy, wind event, fire was really devastating."  

When Morgan and other firefighters arrived, they witnessed the apocalyptic levels of destruction the fire unleashed on Lemos' neighborhood. 

"We were doing a ton of chainsaw projects," Morgan said. "We're trying to clean up driveways for when you guys come back and trying to clean it up to make it look somewhat not devastating."

While cleaning up some of the debris, Morgan wrote a note to inspire a little hope for the devastated community. 

"The house is gone, everything's gone, the trees are gone, but this little mailbox is here, and I know when these homeowners come back they're going to open this mailbox and they're gonna be in maybe the worst possible mindset they could be in. And maybe I can have a little impact on that," Morgan said. 

On the note, he wrote: 

"I know it's hard to feel this pain but I promise it will be OK. The memories made in this home will live forever in your heart. I hope this note makes you smile when you read this. Take it one day at a time. Come together with your neighbors and build something special from these ashes. I wish I could snap my fingers and bring back these houses for all of you. I pray that you find courage and love, resilience and togetherness through these difficult times."

Once the evacuation orders were lifted, Scott, Lemos, and their neighbors returned to their burned-out homes. After letting their emotions pass, they surveyed the damage and found Morgan's note. 

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The note Jayme Morgan left for the Altadena neighborhood.  KCAL News

"We just started crying. It was really beautiful," Scott said. "That was a ray of hope."

After the note started circulating in the neighborhood, the community hoped to find the Washington firefighter who wrote it. 

"I'm like we have to find him," neighbor Jaime Gomez said. "We have to thank him. We have to let him know that it means more than he could ever possibly know."

After nearly a month, the tight-knit neighborhood got the chance through a surprise video call with the help of KCAL News.

"You are just a gem of a human," neighbor Kassandra Kocoshis said during a Zoom group meeting. "You are giving us such hope in such a dark time."

During their first chance to finally meet Morgan, Kocoshis, Scott, Lemos, and Gomez spent time getting to know the Washington firefighter and thanked him for his kind gesture. 

"I'm so beyond honored," Morgan said. "If I could have one darn thing ring through the whole entire US is like, be a helper and be nice. It's free. It doesn't cost anything to just be nice."

The nearly 35 minutes of back-and-forth involved of much of the same kindness Morgan showed during his time in Southern California. The neighbors expressed the gratitude that they have been hoping to release since they found the note. The neighborhood invited him to return to LA anytime while Morgan offered to help in any way he could.

"I'm praying for you and hoping for you and every darn thing you can imagine," Morgan said. "If I could leave you with something today ... It's going to be OK. I promise."

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For the full reunion between Jayme Morgan and the Altadena neighborhood click here.

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