Washington Safeway Helps Wedding Couple After Forest Fire Evacuation
— -- When a wedding day was threatened by a forest fire, a local Safeway came to the rescue.
Eric and Rachel Nelson were set to be married at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Yelm, Washington, but an approaching fire changed their plans.
“We thought the fire was a little farther away than it actually was. By 5:30, we started getting hit with embers and ash outside the house,” wedding guest Kelley Brest told ABC News today.
The group of nearly 70 wedding guests were smoked out of the backyard and evacuated to a Safeway.
“The management immediately started bringing out tables and chairs and even brought out a cake and food,” Brest said.
“I was just amazed by how they accommodated us as much as possible,” she added.
The manager even offered for the couple to tie the knot in the grassy area outside the building before the fire department gave the all-clear to go back to the backyard wedding.
“We were out there for two and a half hours but Rachel and Eric were determined to get married that day. She curled her hair up again and they got married at 8 [p.m.],” Brest said.
Rachel and Eric — who did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment — paid it forward the next day by bringing water to the firefighters still working to contain the blaze.
“The kindness of random strangers was overwhelming!” Rachel wrote on Facebook. “We were truley [sic] blessed yesterday!”
