In an attempt to express her gratitude to the firefighter who saved her and her dog from the Palisades Fire last week, a Malibu lady is frantically looking for him after becoming trapped during a fire.
“I thought I was gonna die.”
Last week, during the Palisades Fire, Patty Phillips was engulfed by flames when her car became trapped on a boulder while she was running from her house. When she saw her savior coming, she started texting her loved ones what she believed to be her final messages.
“I was praying to God to let me die from smoke inhalation and please don’t let me be burned alive,” Phillips stated.
Her car became trapped on a big boulder, preventing her from moving farther, as she raced from her home in Malibu’s Big Rock area, surrounded by smoke and flames that appeared to be closing in.
“I turned on Big Rock and the flames came at me everywhere,” she said. “I was blinded, like a rush of smoke and flames. You are completely dizzy and unable to see your route or what is in front of you.
She unintentionally drove up a dirt path to the side of the road, which was strewn with big pebbles and stones, while she was temporarily blinded.
“I hit that boulder and placed in reverse, which saved my life. She said, “I would have rolled down the gully into the fire if I hadn’t hit that boulder.”
She contacted 911 in a panic, pleading for assistance because her car wouldn’t move, not realizing she had become stuck on a boulder. She claims that she was moved to a different dispatcher, who informed her that it was doubtful that anyone would reach her.
As she and her dog, Coda, sat stranded in the car amid the Palisades Fire’s hellscape, she started to fear the worst. To exacerbate the situation, she had become estranged from her spouse, James, who had already reached the Pacific Coast Highway.
She started sending him what she thought were her last communications as she prayed for survival.
“I cherish you. According to one communication, “I’m in serious trouble.”
“I am stuck.” I have no idea where I am. Another abruptly disconnected text message read, “My car won’t move the fire and.”
Phillips started lying on the car horn because she didn’t want to leave her dog behind and there was a fire around her car. She was not going to give up, no matter what.
“While this is all going on my husband’s down on PCH begging firemen to rescue me,” she continued.
Phillips claims her husband located a firefighter named Malcolm, whom she is currently frantically searching for after rejecting several who claimed it was too risky.
“My husband had him by the collar, ‘Please save my wife,'” recalled Phillips. “‘Let’s go,’ Malcom said. ‘We might not make it, but we’ll try,’ he says getting up.
She noticed a firetruck coming toward her through the black smoke over half an hour later. Malcolm and her husband were there.
She started to thank him a lot, but he told her that they still needed to get past the fire and down the hill since they were still in danger.
“He put his life in danger to save mine. She remarked, “That is a brave man, and he deserves an honor and a hug from me.” “Nobody else would come.”
The firefighter, Captain Malcolm Dicks of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, was located by KCAL News. He is normally stationed in Pacoima, but last week he was available to assist with the quickly developing Palisades Fire.
“I told my kids and my wife about it, I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again,” Dicks recalled. “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 shed a tear when he listened to the wish to express gratitude for Phillips’ valiant deeds while watching his story. She thanked him once again and gave him compliments once they were able to FaceTime.
But Dicks is in charge of Urban Search & Rescue efforts in the Palisades Fire zone, so their reunion will have to wait a little while longer.