Rescue crew welcomed home after returning from Surfside condo collapse

Members of the Task Force 4 rescue crew hugged their loved ones tight after returning home from seven long and hard days in South Florida.

ORLANDO, Fla. - First responders from Central Florida have been in Surfside all week helping with the search and rescue efforts.

On Saturday, they were welcomed home.

Members of the Task Force 4 rescue crew hugged their loved ones tight after returning home from seven long and hard days in South Florida.

Capt. Michael Zielonka is on Task Force 4. He told FOX 35, "We all go down there wanting to save everyone. That mom to hug her kids again. It was hard on those guys to know we didn't do that."

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He added that his team recovered victims of the collapse and hopes the team's efforts bring grieving families some peace, stating "we had some sense of closure knowing we're giving them closure. They at least got to see what was remaining of their family members."

For 12 hours a day, the team worked around dangerous debris, while the other half of the building that's still standing posed a threat.

"Occasionally you'd see an AC unit just fall from the eighth floor and hit the ground, a chair blow out when the wind picked up," Capt. Zielonka said.

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On Saturday, the rescuers got the homecoming they deserved.

"I cannot express enough how proud and appreciative I am to stand with these task force members to recognize their selfless acts of bravery and serving the community of Surfside," Orlando Fire Department Deputy Chief Craig Buckley said.

Watch FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.