Oct. 13--She lost her friend in Las Vegas. She lost her house to the fire in Anaheim Hills.
Then Erin Williamson got a message that touched her heart.
Orange County Fire Authority battalion chief Craig Covey wrote:
"I was in charge of the structure defense for the Hidden Canyon area of the Canyon 2 fire. I am sitting in my office today reflecting on how challenging and horrible Monday was and what I could've done better. You see, to lose one home is against every fabric of my being and profession. I am sooooo sorry to have not protected your beautiful home."
Williamson's inspiring comments about the loss of her home were published first at ocregister.com on Tuesday. She had then posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone knew the firefighter who tried to save her home. Covey was in charge of the crew that tried to save her home.
"I can't look at what happened to us as a tragedy at all," said Williamson, 47, as she stood in front of the ash and remnants of the house she and her husband, Danny, bought in 2006. "This is all totally fixable. We can rebuild it better than it was."
She said the real sympathy should be directed to the people who lost loved ones and friends at the mass shooting a week earlier in Las Vegas. Williamson's longtime friend Brian Fraser was killed by the gunman in Las Vegas. On the day Williamson lost her home, she was supposed to have attended a vigil to honor Fraser.
"For you to have that perspective in the face of your loss, to have understanding in the face of the Las Vegas tragedy, truly reflects on how amazing of a person that you apparently are," Covey wrote.
A photo of a firefighter framed by the flames engulfing Williamson's home appeared in newspapers around the world. The photo was taken by Register photographer Jeff Gritchen.
"The firefighter in the photo of your house being unfortunately destroyed is OCFA firefighter Dave Sewell who was working on Engine 72 which is stationed in Santa Ana ... he too is struggling with the loss," Covey wrote. "Again, I am sorry we were unsuccessful in defending your home and those around you that were lost. It is a day I won't ever forget and will be reliving how and what I could've done differently."
Williamson said she wanted the battalion chief to know she appreciated his effort and the effort of his crew.
"You risked your life to save our house," she said. "I will owe you forever. His message touched my heart so much. They didn't fail. They have a job with no appreciation unless they do something good."
Covey, who is usually based at the Fullerton Airport, said he has never written a message like that in 23 years on the job. He did it because he was inspired by Williamson's attitude.
"She's a breath of fresh air," Covey said. "In this social media world, everybody is 'me first.' She's unreal."
Williamson and Covey have exchanged Facebook messages, but they have never met.
Williamson said she has been stunned by the outpouring of well-wishes she has received from as far away as Australia.
"The amount of amazing people who have reached out to me ... My house could burn down every day," she said. "We're not victims. We're fire survivors."
A video of Williamson and her family returning to her destroyed home (shot by Gritchen) featured her son Josh playing harmonica as he walked through what was left of the burned structure.
Influence Church in Anaheim Hills has started a foundation in Josh Williamson's name to raise money for fire survivors in Southern and Northern California.
Also, Williamson will be collecting donations (from money to gift certificates to gently used clothes and household items) on Sunday, Oct. 15 at her office, First Team Real Estate, 8028 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim Hills. Donations can be dropped off between 1 and 5 p.m.
"So many people are not as lucky as we were," Williamson said.
Full text of the letter Battalion Chief Craig Covey wrote to fire survivor Erin Williamson:
"I was in charge of the structure defense for the Hidden Canyon area of the Canyon 2 fire. I am sitting in my office today reflecting on how challenging and horrible Monday was and what I could've done better. You see, to lose one home is against every fabric of my being and profession. I am sooooo sorry to have not protected your beautiful home.
Coincidentally, I received a Facebook message with a screen capture of your post about your loss. It is one of the most incredible and inspirational posts that I've ever read. For you to have that perspective in the face of your loss, to have understanding in the face of the Las Vegas tragedy, truly reflects on how amazing of a person that you apparently are.
The firefighter in the photo of your house being unfortunately destroyed is OCFA firefighter Dave Sewell who was working on Engine 72 which is stationed in Santa Ana. I forwarded the screen capture of your post to E72's fire captain. He appreciated the message because he too is struggling with the loss.
Again, I am sorry we were unsuccessful in defending your home and those around you that were lost. It is a day I won't ever forget and will be reliving how and what I could've done differently."
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