Elizabeth Gill's daughter, Rachel Thorn, died in February 2016 after being pulled from a burning apartment building in Atlanta
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Elizabeth-Gill-CBS-News-Atlanta-030626-03-921fe8bfc3854d598b2247394094f1fb.jpg "Mom Thanks Firefighters for Giving Her Chance to Say Goodbye to Daughter: 'Forever Indebted'")
Credit: CBS News Atlanta
NEED TO KNOW
- Elizabeth Gill’s daughter, Rachel Thorn, died from her injuries after being pulled from a fire that broke out in her apartment complex in 2016
- The Atlanta mother said she is “forever” indebted to the firefighters who brought her daughter out of the building alive, as they gave her a chance to say goodbye to Thorn
- Now, Gill volunteers her time helping local fire stations in honor of her daughter’s memory
An Atlanta mother says she is "forever indebted" to local firefighters for giving her the precious opportunity to say goodbye to her daughter after she was involved in a tragic fire. That gratitude has inspired her to dedicate the last 10 years to volunteering.
On Feb. 21, 2016, Elizabeth Gill's 37-year-old daughter, Rachel Thorn, became trapped in a fire that broke out at the Pharr Manor Apartments in Buckhead, per CBS News. Atlanta Fire Station 4 Capt. Chip Newell was on the scene at the time, helping to put out the blaze.
"They were telling us to get out of the building because the roof was going to come in on us," he recalled to CBS News. "But yes, I remember seeing [Thorn] in the bedroom."
Firefighters managed to pull Thorn out, and she was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with severe injuries. Gill rushed to be by her daughter's side.
Credit: CBS News Atlanta
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"You know, the first few hours you think, 'She's going to get through this. She's going to make it,' " Gill remembered of that difficult time.
Sadly, however, Thorn's condition worsened, and she died 10 hours later. "We knew she wasn't going to make it, and we just said our goodbyes," Gill said.
Despite her unimaginable loss, Gill felt gratitude amid the tragedy because she had the chance to spend those final hours with her daughter.
"That's what they saved — the chance to see her, to be with her, to pray over her. They saved the moments he had with her," she said of Newell and his fellow firefighters. "We're forever indebted to the fire department for being there that morning and helping her that morning to get out of that fire."
Credit: CBS News Atlanta
Since losing Thorn, Gill has volunteered her time throughout the year at fire stations around Atlanta. On holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, she also delivers food and supplies to the stations.
"Volunteering is a way of life," Gill said. "What you've been given is what you give back."
She told CBS News it's the least she can do after the firefighters' heroic efforts back in 2016.
"They're the first people who come to your aid when you're in trouble. We'll always thank you for that," Gill said.
To honor her daughter's memory, Gill holds a luncheon every year on Feb. 21 to thank the firefighters who brought her out of her apartment building alive. In addition, a plaque dedicated to Thorn hangs inside Atlanta Fire Station 21.
"It's amazing how grief will take you down different trails. Grief-stricken mother, losing her daughter in a structure fire, has turned that grief into such a positive change," Newell said of Gill's response to the tragedy. "That's absolutely amazing."