A 93-year-old woman in Magalia, California, is thanking her longtime sanitation worker for rescuing her from her home as adeadly wildfire continues to ravage the county.
With her caregiver gone for the day, Margaret Newsum feared for her life after hearing about the Camp Fire terrorizing Paradise, a small town just minutes from Magalia, according toKCRA. That’s when Dane Ray Cumming, a waste management driver, arrived.
“I went out and was standing on the front porch when this great, big, green monster drove up, and my dear friend was emptying the garbage,” Newsum recalled to the station. “He said, ‘You’re not staying here. You’ve got to get out of here. Why are you still here?’ ”
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“They lifted her, and we scooted her on the seat and put the seat belt on her and made sure she was up there far enough so she wouldn’t fall out either side, and that was it,” Cummings told KCRA. “We were on the road.”
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Cummings said that is supervisor told him to cut his route short as the blaze spread throughout Butte County. But the longtime waste management driver knew there would be “older” residents in Magalia, and was determined to do all he could to help.
“I tried to stop and help them and let them know that they were coming and let them know that they were coming and make sure they were getting out,” he said. “She was my last stop. I probably went to 45 or 50 people to see if I could help them.”
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During the five-hour ride to safety, Newsum and Cummings shared details about their lives. He learned that Cummings had beat cancer three times, survived a horrific car accident and had even been a backup singer, according to KCRA.
“I wish I’d known her when she was younger,” he told the station. “I would’ve married her, you know what I mean? It was the best conversation I’ve had in a truck ever.”
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At least 31 people have died so far as several fires burn on both ends of the state, according toCBS News. Several families have lost their homes and personal belongings in the blaze.
To help victims of the California wildfires, visit theLos Angeles Fire Department Foundation, theCalifornia Fire Foundationand theAmerican Red Cross, for more information.
source: people.com
