She was fleeing the Palisades Fire when her car got stuck as flames approached. Now she's meeting her rescuer.
A Malibu woman who was searching for the firefighter who rescued her when she got stuck while fleeing the Palisades Fire will soon be able to thank him in person for saving her life.
Patty Phillips was racing to evacuate her home in the Big Rock neighborhood of Malibu last week with her dog, Koda, when she found herself surrounded by smoke and fire that seemed to be closing in on her.
"I turned on Big Rock [Drive] and the flames came at me everywhere," she recalled. "Like a blast of flames and smoke, and I was blinded. It's total vertigo, you can't see your road, you can't see in front of you."
As she struggled to see through the smoke, she accidentally drove offroad and up a dirt path that was littered with large rocks. Her car ran into a boulder and she got stuck — she was unable to move any further.
"I put it in reverse, which saved my life because I hit that boulder," she said. "If I hadn't hit that boulder, I would've rolled down the gully into the fire."
Unaware that she had gotten stuck on a boulder, she called 911 in a panic, begging for help because her car wouldn't move. She said that she was transferred to a second dispatcher, who explained that it would be unlikely that someone would be able to get to her.
"I was praying to God to let me die from smoke inhalation and please don't let me be burned alive," Phillips said.
Read more: Maps show destruction of Los Angeles-area homes in Palisades, Eaton fire zones
She began to fear the worst as she and her dog sat trapped inside the car, surrounded by the hellscape of the Palisades Fire. To make matters worse, Phillips had gotten separated from her husband James, who had already made it down to the Pacific Coast Highway she was struggling to reach.
"I thought I was gonna die," she said.
As she prayed for survival, she began to send him what she believed were her final text messages.
"I love you. I'm in big trouble," one message read.
Another text was even more ominous.
"I'm stuck I don't know where I'm at. My car won't move the fire and," the text said, abruptly cutting off at the end.
Not wanting to leave her dog behind, Phillips began laying on the horn. Whatever it took, she was refusing to give up.
Meanwhile, her husband was looking for help.
"While this is all going on, my husband's down on PCH begging firemen to rescue me," she said.
After striking out with a few who said it was far too dangerous, Phillips says her husband encountered a firefighter named Malcolm who was willing to help.
"My husband had him by the collar, 'Please save my wife,'" Phillips said. "Malcom said, 'Let's go. And he goes up and he goes, 'We might not make it but we'll try.'"
Nearly 30 minutes after she called 911, Phillips saw a firetruck approaching her through the black smoke. It was her husband and Malcolm.
When they reached her, she thanked the firefighter profusely. He advised her that they were still in danger and needed to get down the hill and past the fire.
They did. She had been saved.
"He risked his life to save mine. Like, that is a brave man and he needs a hug from me, he needs to receive an honor," she said. "Nobody else would come."
KCAL News located the firefighter, Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Malcolm Dicks. Typically he's stationed in Pacoima, but was on hand to help with the rapidly evolving Palisades Fire last week.
"I told my kids and my wife about it, I didn't know if I'd ever see [Phillips] again," Dicks said. "I'll be excited to see her again and see the husband and the dog, and I'm just glad they made it out safe because unfortunately a lot of other people didn't."
Dicks was emotional as he watched Phillips' story and heard of her desire to thank him for his heroic actions. They were able to get on a FaceTime call and she praised and thanked him again.
But a reunion in person will be placed on hold for a little longer. Dicks continues to work in the Palisades Fire zone, leading Urban Search and Rescue operations.