WITI Reporter Cassidy Williams became part of the story when a huge apartment fire broke out.

The 3 bell burner roared through a 62-unit building at the White Oaks Apartments in Bayside early Saturday, morning, leaving dozens homeless.

One of those that lost it all was Williams.

"You never realize how much you own until you don't have anything," said Williams.

Williams had no time to grab anything more than her coat and cellphone. From a safe distance, she watched as the flames crept closer.

"Just moving down the roof. Once it hit a point, you just knew it was over," said Williams.

One of the irreplaceable items Williams thought she lost forever was her grandmother's necklace.

"She died when I was pretty young. She wore this every day," said Williams.

Williams said the firefighters who volunteered to go back in on Sunday somehow found it among the debris and returned it to the breaking news reporter who found herself on the other side of the story -- far from her family in Pennsylvania. She said she was finding comfort in the generosity of the American Red Cross, her co-workers and viewers who reached out on social media.

"The family that I didn't realize I had here has really come through," said Williams.

H/T WITI