SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego FC fell a goal short Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo FC with the final score being 4-3.
At Snapdragon Stadium, the players are typically the stars of the game. But Saturday night, the spotlight shifted to those who helped families and people impacted by the Murphy Canyon plane crash that happened just about a month ago.
Hundreds in the stands eagerly waiting for the San Diego FC game to start against the Houston Dynamo.
Saturday night a special pre-game event made the match different from the rest. The team honoring heroes who helped after the Murphy Canyon plane crash.
"The fire that ensued from the plane crash affected so many homes and affected so many people," said Erik Windsor, the Battalion Chief with San Diego Fire Rescue. "Ultimately, many families were displaced and we had to make sure that they were safe and they had a location they could go to, to unify with their family members when they all evacuated so quickly."
Windsor is relieving the moments he and his crews sprung into action when dozens of families' lives suddenly changed. Other organizations highlighted at the game, heavily involved in recovery efforts, including Zero8Hundred, a military nonprofit.
"Food, clothing, lodging, just long term case management support, the trauma informed therapy, we all came together to build that response," said Ashely Camac, the CEO of Zero8Hundred.
One by one, organizations that stepped in to help the many military families showcased on the stadium's big screen.
"Today is all about just bringing us together and showing the community that we want to thank them for helping us as nonprofits be able to support these families in the immediate and then long term," said Camac.
While it's still a long road back to normal for many families, Windsor is grateful for the acknowledgment.
"It is very amazing to be honored.," said Windsor. "It touches our hearts to have somebody recognize the work that we do. It's our job, we go to work every day to do our job and we're happy to do it. But this is a big honor, it's very nice."
