Alex Carson
The California Wildfires
In November 2018, two wildfires caused extreme destruction. Many homes were destroyed. Entire neighborhoods were turned to rubble. People were forced to evacuate and leave their homes for their own safety. Some had no warning at all and had to leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. It was a horrible time for California and the entire country. Each night, millions of people turned on the news only to hear more and more about the devastation that was occurring on the Pacific Coast.
Lee Brundige
Lee Brundige is a 93-year-old World War II veteran. He lived in Paradise, California which was engulfed in the Camp Fire. He lived alone when he got word that everyone in his neighborhood had to be evacuated. He wasn’t stubborn, and he knew that the safest thing to do would be to evacuate. He lived by himself and got in his car and drove to a parking lot in a nearby town. Many other people in the area had evacuated to this area. It was there that he met a kind woman named Tracy Grant.
Feeding the Evacuees
Tracy was at the parking lot, and she was making burgers for those who were forced out of their homes. She went over to Lee and offered him something to eat. He told Tracy to save the food for someone who needed it. Tracy wanted him to take the food, but she knew that she couldn’t force him to take it. She continued cooking for the evacuees until the police told them that it was time to leave.
Evacuating the Evacuees
The sheriff’s deputies went to the parking lot where Tracy was cooking. They told everyone that they had to leave the parking lot. It had nothing to do with ordinances; it was for the safety of the evacuees. They said that the air quality was rapidly declining. The area was filling with smoke, and it was no longer safe for the people to be there. Tracy and Josh started packing up to leave, but they couldn’t leave Lee behind. This 93-yr-old veteran sleeps in car after fleeing wildfire, then stranger says ‘You’re coming with us’.
Tracy Insists
Tracy asked Lee where he would go. He told her that he would be fine and he would just sleep in his car. Tracy couldn’t bear to leave the man behind. She knew that he wouldn’t last long in his car on his own. She asked him if he would come home with her, but he refused. Tracy refused to give up. When she asked him to go home with her again, he jokingly told her that he was told old for the ladies these days. Tracy laughed and finally, Lee agreed to go home with her and Josh.
Getting Comfortable
When Tracy and Josh got Lee home, they set him up in their spare room. Lee got comfortable quickly because their home was more comfortable than the parking lot that he had been calling home. The couple’s two dogs quickly warmed up to Lee. It wasn’t long before they felt like family to him.
An Unknown Future
When Lee was at Josh and Tracy’s home, his future was up in the air. He had no idea if he was going to have a home to go back to. Like many of the evacuees, his future was unknown. It wasn’t easy for him, but Josh and Tracy did everything they could to make him feel comfortable in their home.
Getting Lee What He Needed
Tracy called her boyfriend Josh and told him that there was a man in their home sitting in his recliner and wearing a robe. She told him that they were housing the 93-year-old evacuee and that he was the cutest man she had ever seen. Josh didn’t mind at all, and he stopped by a store on his way home from work to get him some clothes to wear. He was sure that Lee didn’t have time to get any of his things before leaving his home.
A Beautiful Offer
Tracy and Josh told Lee that if he was unable to go home that he would be staying with them permanently. Lee, who had no family, was moved by their gesture. He had become very comfortable at their home and was willing to take them up on their offer if need be.
Waiting For Word
When their story went worldwide, Lee still didn’t know if he would ever to go back home. While losing his home would have been devastating, he wasn’t worried. He had a new family to stay with. He says that even if he is able to go home, Tracy and Josh will still be his family. They all promised to remain close if Lee is able to go home. If not, he would stay with them forever. This couple is incredibly kind and generous.
YouTube Descriptions
Many people were forced from their homes during the wildfires that swept through California in November 2018. Some of these people didn’t have homes to go back to. A 93-year-old man named Lee was one of these people who was forced from their homes. Fortunately, he met a kind woman named Tracy. She tried to feed him, and when the air in the parking lot where he was staying became too dangerous, Tracy took him home.
Lee had no idea if he would ever be able to go back home and Tracy and her boyfriend made him a promise. If he couldn’t return home, they would make their home his home. The news interviewed the three of them, and the footage is sweet and incredibly touching. You have to see the video to see what true kindness looks like.
