Fairfax County rescuers went above their call of duty on Monday to help a Springfield woman whose home was destroyed by a fallen tree.
Early that morning, a tree crushed Pamela Johnson's home.
"All of sudden this crash... everything started falling near me and around me," Johnson, who is blind, told News4. "It was my parents' first house that they built themselves."
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue crews spent extra time to help stabilize Johnson's home.
"The operation... is a shoring operation, an emergency shoring operation that's done so the rest of the house doesn't fall down," Battalion Chief Brian Brendel said.
Many of the first responders are part of Urban Search and Rescue, Virginia Task Force One. Last week, the group spent several days training in Georgia to prepare for local and international emergencies.
Johnson said she's very grateful for all the work the responders did to help her.
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"I think they're going above and beyond their call of duty," Johnson said. "They should have more fire departments like that."
The wet soil and wind are to blame for bringing the tree down. The Red Cross is putting Pamela up in a hotel for a couple days.
