In Granby, Colorado, homeowner Dan Stones could only contemplate from afar the fate of his family’s cabin. Stones note had been a “rollercoaster of a week,” and he had not even learned about the blaze until driving up over the weekend. There was a point when the wildfire had burned through 100,000 acres in just a few hours. The Stone family was in shock, and Dan figured their home would end up being a total loss.
“I thought it was an error,” he told CBS News. “I thought it was wrong, and my wife was standing over my shoulder when I saw it and my jaw hit the desk.”
Stone said that the fire had been raging roughly 39 miles from his cabin and described the prospect of his cabin burning down as “very frightening.” In fact, the fire had come extremely close to his cabin — only about 5 or 6 feet — according to the firefighters who saved it. Now, fast-forward a couple of days, and when the smoke finally cleared, instead of finding a big pile of ashes, Stone found a note attached to his front door (which was attached to the rest of his home).
“If this note finds you we must have done something right. Sorry for the loss of your shed and we had to cut the wood fence to save the house. Things got really hot we stayed as long as possible.”
The note was signed, “Best wishes Engine 1446.”
Colorado man finds cabin still standing and note from firefighters after wildfire burned dangerously close https://t.co/v9Fy2r6gHq pic.twitter.com/vGtUksAXfm
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) October 28, 2020
“It absolutely blew me away,” said Stones. “And I’m a grown man, and I can admit I wept.”
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CBS News questioned the firefighters with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the crew who left the note, and asked if they were surprised by Stone’s reaction.
“Ah, it was heartwarming,” said Beau Steele, one of the firefighters.
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Frary also explained that when he first began his career, he was always taught to leave a little note if they need to take action on someone’s property, which was the case in this instance.
The eternally grateful cabin owner said that the note was so moving that it was too good not to share with everyone.
“I get goosebumps,” he said. “I probably cried more in the last week than I have since I was 4 years old. It’s been wild.”
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As this news about this incredible act of kindness continues to spread across the globe, Stone is also promoting the message of paying it forward.
“This is where we roll up our sleeves. This is where we give back,” he said. “And, you know, so one of the things that I really want the world to know is like, please, if your house is still standing, donate that to emergency workers or to displaced families.”
You can learn more about this feel-good story in the video below.