Palisades Fire survivor reunites with LA County firefighter who saved her as flames closed in
Patty Phillips was racing to evacuate from her Malibu home last January when her car got stuck on a boulder, immobilizing her as flames closed in. One year later, she's reuniting again with the Los Angeles County firefighter who put his own life on the line to save her and her dog.
Captain Malcolm Dicks and Phillips' husband sprang into action on Jan. 7, driving into the midst of the firestorm to find her trapped on a dirt road near Big Rock Drive.
"I thought I was gonna die," Phillips said at the time.
When she was attempting to flee, she says that she accidentally drove up a small dirt road littered with large rocks. When she realized her mistake and tried to put her car in reverse, she got stuck.
"I put it in reverse, which saved my life because I hit that boulder," Phillips said last January. "If I hadn't hit that boulder, I would've rolled down the gully into the fire."
It was there that Dicks found her and her dog, Koda, before transporting the two to safety.
Though their second reunion wasn't the first time Phillips had the chance to hug her savior, she said she was equally anxious this time around. She wanted to show him the special place at the entrance of her home, where the boulder that changed her life one year ago now sits.
Phillips was able to reunite with Dicks a few weeks after he saved her last year, in what was an emotional affair for the family, meeting who they could only describe as their hero.
"I feel strongly that God put that boulder there that day to save my life," Phillips said. "And then you and my husband, James, rescued me. And if Koda hadn't been in the car, I would have died for sure, cause I would have gotten out and run."
They all returned to that spot off of Big Rock Drive during their second reunion, revisiting the chaotic moments that led to her rescue, which happened as black smoke filled the sky and large flames covered the surrounding hillsides.
In her panic, Phillips sent a series of frantic texts to her husband, begging him to help before sending what she thought were her last texts.
"I love you. I'm in big trouble," said one text.
Another said, "I'm stuck I don't know where I'm at. My car won't move the fire and," before cutting off at the end abruptly.
At the bottom of the hill, Phillips' husband was frantically searching for someone who could help him. After asking several firefighters, he finally found Dicks.
"I had just pulled up, so when I said, 'Let's go.' I think he was like, 'Okay great,'" Dicks said. "I'm like, 'No, you're coming with me.' And he was a little shocked, but it was good that we went up there together, because he was the one that said she should be somewhere around here, and he heard the horn and I saw the lights."
All three made it out safely that day, and when sharing her story with CBS LA, Phillips said she was desperate to thank the firefighter named Malcolm, who risked his life to save hers.
"That is a brave man and he needs a hug from me," Phillips said last January. "He needs to receive an honor. Nobody else would come."
Dicks was, in fact, honored for his bravery by Los Angeles County leaders for his work during the Palisades Fire battle.
Phillips had a plaque placed on the boulder outside of her home. On it, she had the words "God saved my life with a miracle on 1-7-2025 in the form of this boulder, with the help of Fire Captain Malcolm, a cat named Socks, my beloved husband James and our dog Koda."
