A dozen Montgomery County firefighters are home just in time for Thanksgiving after helping battle wildfires in California.
They were sent to fight the Woolsey Fire in Southern California.
The fire has killed three people, destroyed over 1,500 buildings and burned 97,000 acres.
“It was nothing but just burned up country, lots of structures on the ground, lots of people who didn’t have places to go," Montgomery County Fire Battalion Chief Bill Derks said.
The flames also damaged the set of "Westworld", "The Bachelor" mansion and several celebrity homes.
“A place that’s total vegetation and you look a hundred yards, and there's nothing but burnt ash and rocks, the power of the fire is impressive," Lt. Chance Montgomery said.
Now that fire crews are gaining control of it, our firefighters were able to come home.
It’s the ride in they’ve waited for. The holiday they thought they’d miss.
“We were expecting to be there from 14 to 21 days so it was exciting when they finally told us," Montgomery said.
The Woolsey Fire was an unstoppable force, tearing through the California coastline, which is why these guys needed to be there to help.
"That's just the fire service in general. If we needed help, they'd be here to help us," Fire Chief Jason Oliphant said.
“They’ve been dealing with this all year, and we’re happy to help out in a time a need. It’s all about helping one another," Derks said.
Ten days gone, today, they're just thankful to be home.
“They came here during Harvey. They came here during Ike. It’s just our turn to return the favor," Montgomery said.
Several other Houston area crews are also coming home from California Wednesday, including firefighters from Baytown and New Waverly.