Two years after a house fire, Victor Wilson reunited with Red Cross volunteer Joe O’Donnell at a Sound the Alarm event. The man who once helped Victor now stood beside him, both getting ready to install free smoke alarms.
By Marc Coronel/American Red Cross
“I saw a volunteer opportunity to install smoke alarms in Carson and Torrance, so I signed up right away,” said Victor Wilson. “A smoke alarm saved my family—it woke my daughter. It gave them time to escape.”
There’s something about fire. It doesn’t just consume homes; it takes memories, routines and a sense of security with it. For Victor, a longtime Compton resident, the flames that tore through his house one early morning changed everything. But this isn’t just a story about loss. It’s about what happens when someone looks up and sees hope standing right in front of them.
Victor was working in Chino that day, starting his shift at six in the morning. About an hour into his day, his daughter called, crying, in a voice he had never heard before. “I actually thought something tragic had happened to her mom,” Victor said. “She said ‘the house is on fire, the house is on fire.’ I never heard her speak like that before.”
Victor immediately told his supervisor he had to leave and why. Despite having just driven an hour in traffic to get to work, he now faced a drive that could now take up to two hours, but Victor used the carpool lanes and sometimes even the shoulder. “All I could think about was getting home,” he recalled. “I knew the paramedics were coming for my other daughter and the fire department was on the way. It was truly a scary and hectic drive.”
Miraculously, everyone got out safely, but when Victor arrived, he was overwhelmed. The flames were out, but the damage was done. That’s when something unexpected happened.
“I was sitting on the porch steps, trying to make sense of everything, when I looked up and the American Red Cross was there,” Victor said. “I didn’t even know what to expect. But I didn’t have to. The Red Cross representative started talking. It was like a breath of fresh air.”
Amid insurance adjusters and neighbors offering quick condolences, the Red Cross stood out.
“They weren’t selling anything. They weren’t asking anything of me. They just showed up with care and compassion. I felt seen. I felt understood.”
The Red Cross gave Victor cash assistance for immediate needs; information about temporary housing and other resources, and, most importantly, emotional support.
Victor’s daughter, a college student in Colorado, lost her asthma medication and inhaler in the fire, but a volunteer coordinated with the Red Cross in Colorado to ensure she received what she needed, while another daughter’s eyeglasses had to be replaced.
“Joe, the Red Cross disaster responder, treated us like family. No judgment, just help. It felt like someone was saying, ‘I’m here. I got you.’”
Two years later, construction delays kept Victor’s family from returning home but the Red Cross remained a steady presence. Volunteers continued to check in, offering support beyond that first chaotic day. The care continued—and it inspired Victor to give back.
Grateful for Red Cross support his family received, Victor now gives back by volunteering his time and making monthly donations.
That’s when Victor volunteered for a Red Cross Sound the Alarm event, helping install free smoke alarms in people’s homes—a chance to protect another family, just as his had been. What he didn’t expect was that the event would bring his journey full circle. There, he was reunited with Joe O’Donnell, the Red Cross disaster responder who had stood by his side on the worst day of his life.
“We gave each other a big man hug,” Victor said, smiling. “I told him, ‘You’re the reason I’m out here today.’ That moment meant everything.”
Today, Victor gives $19 a month to the Red Cross. It’s more than a donation, it’s a thank you.
“Before the fire, I only knew the Red Cross from donation mailers. But now? I know what it feels like to look up and see help, to see hope, arrive when you least expect it.”
His message for anyone considering volunteering or donating?
“The Red Cross is real. When they show up, you can breathe. You can exhale. You can trust that help has arrived and that it’s coming from a place of genuine care.”
Join us for a Sound the Alarm event near you—a chance to help make homes and communities safer. Learn more and get involved at redcross.org.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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