Three years ago, Alyson Stoke never would have thought she'd be sitting down for TV interviews or that her name would be well-known far beyond her Northstate community.
"My kids don't necessarily like that everyone knows their last name, but it stands for something," the mother of two explained in a new interview with KRCR's Dylan Brown. Alyson's husband Jeremy, a beloved Redding firefighter, was killed while helping evacuate families from the Carr Fire as it ripped through parts of the city in 2018. The Fire Prevention Officer for the Redding Fire Department had cut a family vacation in Oregon short that week to respond to a widespread multi-agency call for help.
It was a scenario Alyson knew was possible, but hoped would never become a reality. "They go on fires. That's what they do. You can't think about it. You never think about the worst that could come," Alyson said of her nearly 20 years married to a firefighter. "You just kiss them goodbye and know that it will be okay."