A Stranger Saved Her Life NOW SHE SPREADS HOPE

Rescued during the Palisades wildfire by a heroic good Samaritan, Kim Marshall now inspires others by creating a podcast that shares heartfelt stories of true heroism and kindness

- —Maggie Dillard

My car is trapped on the highway," said Kim Marshall after she frantically ran into a nearby gas station along the Pacific Coast Highway on January 7, 2025. Remembering her friend who had passed away in a fire just a few years prior, Kim trembled with fear. The Pacific Palisades resident usually took extra precautions and tried to be the first to evacuate the canyon anytime a fire was nearby. But on this day, the wind was too strong, and the fire moved too quickly. She was stuck.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she explained to the other folks huddled inside. "I have no way to get out of here."

Life-saving kindness

Overhearing the desperation in her voice, Mel Sobolewski came to her rescue. "Do you want me to drive you to Santa Monica out of the danger zone?" she offered.

Mel, who works in partnerships and development with the Butte Fire Safe Council and trained with FEMA in wildfire evacuation and rescue, had spent the day warning people to evacuate and helping them to safety. She just happened to walk into the gas station where Kim was seeking shelter to find a phone charger.