LOS ANGELES — On Sunday afternoon, Salt Lake City firefighters assisting in the Palisades Fire Disaster Zone helped a homeowner find two rings after he had returned to his home that was burnt to ruins.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department deployed to California a week ago.
"I don't think any of us were prepared for the level of burned-over destruction and loss that we've seen," said SLCFD Capt. Scott Winkler.
But amid the devastation and ruins from the Palisades Fire, Utah crews sifted their way to a small victory.
"To be able to help even after the fact that you feel like there's nothing left to be done," said Scott Haney, a driver engineer with SLCFD.
The firefighters were sent to the heart of the Pacific Palisades disaster zone in California.
"The neighborhood we're operating in is 75-80% lost. Somewhere in there, I'd estimate," said Winkler.
One homeowner returned to what was once his house.
"He'd given up on everything else, and he said, 'But I'd really like to find these rings,'" said SLCFD Capt. Matt Taylor.
These Salt Lake firemen helped someone who felt like they had nothing left to look for.
"He knew where the nightstand where [the rings] should've been at was located, so we started sifting through that with our shovels," said Taylor.
The homeowner insisted the first responders move on, but they continued searching.
"Kept on digging and these guys were able to find that ring and we could tell it really touched the homeowner," said SLC firefighter Matt Thomas.
They sifted out two irreplaceable items: a wedding and a college ring.
Salt Lake’s Engine 3131 was able to assist a Palisades resident sift through the remains of his home and locate his wedding and college ring. Small victories. pic.twitter.com/tvapz9dvOT
— Unified Fire (@FireAuthority) January 19, 2025
"That look of appreciation that we were able to find it — he was in disbelief. He was telling us to stop looking, we'd already been there long enough, tried to send us on our way," said Thomas.
Rings found in the ruins, and a glimmer of hope for a long road to recovery.
"Really at this point, with the scope of the disaster here, it's the small victories that really matter with these folks, and that's really kind of what we're seeing," said Winkler.
The SLC firemen expressed their sheer gratitude.
"We want to send love home to our families. Thanks for holding down the fort while we've been gone," said Haney.
They're thankful for the support from California and from everyone at home.
"We're grateful and we're definitely feeling the love from Utah out here," said Winkler.
When we asked how Utahns can help, they suggested visiting lafd.org. The Los Angeles Fire Department kindly asks for help and is grateful for the contributions they've received.
"We just want to thank the citizens of Utah for being willing to send their first responders to come help their neighbors in California, and to our fire departments and our cities in general. Thanks for letting us come help California," said Haney.
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