California Firefighter Surprises Daughter [Watch Emotional Video]

A California firefighter surprises daughter after being away for nearly 30 days. He posted an emotional video on his Instagram, showing how happy his ten-year-old child was.

Joshua Padron had to spend almost one month away from his family to fight off some of the state's biggest wildfires. Earlier this month, he found out that he would be going home one day earlier than planned.

Sent to the Complex Fire

The August Complex Fire has burned over one million acres after it started in August. It has already killed one person and destroyed 160 structures. Padron got deployed to the North Complex Fire for 14 days straight, according to "ABC7 New York."

Then, he got sent to the August Complex Fire for 13 days. While he was away, his daughter kept asking him every day when he would be coming home. So he planned in secret with his wife to get his daughter's reaction.

Planned to surprise his daughter

The 18-year Fire Department veteran decided to surprise his daughter, Eliana. He asked his wife to capture a video on the day that he would be arriving home. The emotional video captured not only the shock and joy of his daughter but also the first hug she gave him in nearly one month.

The father-of-three told "Good Morning America" that Eliana is "definitely" his partner in crime. He noted that the child had a particularly difficult time when her dad got deployed to be away from the family for so long. Padron said that they do everything together during his off days.

The dad, who lives in San Juan Bautista with his family, shared his experience in the last fire season. He explained that it is one of the worst he has ever seen in his firefighting career. He has served as a fire engineer in his most recent public information office deployment. There, he provided data to the communities and all the residences affected by the fires.

He felt blessed

Padron said that he is "blessed" because his wife could capture his daughter's reaction on video after they got reunited. Other than that, he was also thankful that his wife was there to take care of the family while he was not around.

The firefighter dad also said that he was glad to be able to go back home safely after he got deployed to help with the wildfires. He said that people are focused on firefighters, especially when they are out on the front lines.

He explained that what is essential is the support back at home and its impacts on families. Padron wanted to share his story to shout out to all the husbands, wives, and children who uphold and manage the household.