Palisades homeowner shares note El Segundo firefighters left after saving his home
As the city of El Segundo honored its first responders who were on the frontlines of the Palisades Fire, a Pacific Palisades resident came out to the Thursday afternoon event to meet the fire crew that left him a note in his mailbox after saving his home.
The Jan. 8 handwritten note titled "To whom it may concern," was left in Anthony Nesburn's steel mailbox by the Engine 31 C Platoon, signed by Levi, Steve, Matt and Jason.
Nesburn, at nearly 90 years old, said he went back to inspect his house after the fire tore through his Sunset Mesa neighborhood and was wondering how his home had been saved when he found the note in his mailbox.
The letter started off by saying "We're so sorry for the devastation your neighborhood has endured." It went on to describe how the crew of four stopped the flames from taking over the home.
"We want you to know that you and your neighbors are in our thoughts as you rebuild and recover. The pink ribbon, if it is still there, means that the house was saved, and it gave us great pride to hang it," the note read.
El Segundo firefighter Matthew Goodenough, who signed the note as "Matt," said his captain wrote it and that it was everything the crew was feeling at the time.
"We were part of an initial attack in the Getty Villa neighborhoods and when we were there, we were kind of set up and prepositioned to save as much as we could with what we had," he said.
"The letter was written to let them know that we put kind of our heart and soul, at kind of the last hour, in that house to make sure it was upright. There were other houses in that neighborhood that we did the same thing for, but it was just one of those things that felt right in that moment, I think."
Goodenough said it meant a lot to meet the owner of the home that they saved. "It just kind of validates your calling for being a fireman and being there for the communities we serve. It meant a lot to see him today."
Nesburn had the note with him Thursday afternoon at the El Segundo City Hall plaza ceremony. He said he was blown away to find the note in the first place, and happy to meet the crew that saved his home. He said his wife passed away a year ago, and he believes maybe it was her spirit that got Engine 31 C Platoon at the house, at the right time.
"And they are responsible for the fact that I still have a home, and all those memories," Nesburn said.