ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) — A man who nearly lost everything in the Eaton Fire but managed to escape with a few possessions, including his recently deceased father’s flag, now has another precious item that was found in the rubble months later.
“This means everything. This is the last thing. I couldn’t care about anything up there… but this…”
Derek Russell Jr. is referring to his father’s police badge, which was discovered in Altadena by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
It’s one of only two things he has left from his father, who died just a month before the devastating blaze.
When we first met him, Russell Jr. was clutching his father’s flag, one of the only items he had time to grab as he fled the flames.
For Derek Russell Jr., the loss of his home came just one month after losing his father, Derek Russell Sr.
His father was an army veteran and longtime police officer with the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as the Los Angeles Housing Authority and probation department. His legacy was serving others.
“He loved being a police officer. It’s all he did his whole life and to have this means the world,” his son told Eyewitness News.
A chance encounter with a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers colonel overseeing the Eaton Fire cleanup and a promise to find the family heirloom gave Derek a gift he never expected.
“There’s just so many things that brought the search together. Me meeting Derek, us starting that property at that time… It was just fate,” said Col. Sonny Avichal.
And maybe a father’s helping hand guiding crews digging through the ash and debris to find the badge he so proudly wore.
“It was my dad looking down. He helped them find it for sure,” Derek said.
Derek said there are no words to express his gratitude and said the badge will help in his emotional healing. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help him with the financial burden.
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