Arroyo Seco neighbor welcomes firefighters to her home

ARROYO SECCO, Calif (KION) Arroyo Seco neighbor, Erin Melchior welcomed fire trucks and helicopters to the field behind her home. The firefighters were fighting the Willow Fire which has been burning since Friday.

“I heard three helicopters stopping, decided to go down there in the field and welcome them to the neighborhood and offer our home to them if they need anything," said Melchior.

Erin Melchior and her wife Rachel Allen have been living in their home in Arroyo Seco for the past four years.

She wasn't startled to see the crews setting up on her property, but rather comforted knowing they were there protecting her home, she said.

“They were just getting some time off yesterday and still welcomed me in and showed me around," said Melchior. "Took me to the helicopter, got some candid pictures with them. They got to play with the dogs. It was awesome.”

According to Melchior, the community is very close and they’re all grateful for their hard work. And for her, it wasn’t just the right thing to do but rather the decent thing to do to help out the fire crew.

“They're fighting to save our home," said Melchior. "If you want a cup of coffee, come get a cup of coffee. Or if you want a shower, come have a shower. Anything that we can do to help them and make them more comfortable. That's just who we are.”

California Interagency Incident Management Team 11 Public Information Officer, Steve Rasmussen said, a break in the weather forecast allowed them to be able to access the eastern edge of the fire along Marble Creek Trail.

 “It's allowing our crews on the ground to get in and actually make access to the actual fire and go direct with our firefighting tactics," said Rasmussen. "As well as continually strengthening our contingency lines around the entire fire perimeter.”

For updates on the Willow Fire, you can read the latest information here.