Caterina Scorsone’s Grey’s Anatomy character has had a tumultuous ride over the years since the actress debuted as Dr. Amelia Shepherd, but she now has some emotional news from her personal life. Scoresone has revealed that her house burned down months ago, forcing her to flee with her children and leave almost everything behind. Tragically, this included their pets. She opened up about what happened and the aftermath with an emotional message about loss and about community.
The actress took to Instagram to drop the news about her family’s losses, which were successfully kept quiet when the house burned down months ago. Beginning her post with “Hello friends” and a content warning for fire/loss, Caterina Scorsone wrote:
A couple of months ago my house burned down. While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house. One thing about fires: they happen fast. I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful. Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all.
Scorsone didn’t reveal what caused the fire, but it sounds like she only just had enough time to get her family out of the house, even if they had “less than shoes on our feet.” She is mother to three daughters, the youngest of which was born in late 2019. Tragically, the family lost all of their pets in the fire, but the actress is clearly looking at the silver lining in her mention of their luck in getting to “love them at all.”
She went on in her post to make it even more clear that she’s not speaking out because of all that she and her family lost due to fire, but in appreciation of the help she received in the aftermath. Caterina Scorsone continued:
This is not a post about a fire. This is a post about community. This is a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did. Thank you to the firefighters and the investigators (thank you Trey!) Thank you to my neighbor who answered our frantic knocks at her door. Thank you to the parents at my kids’ school who sent toys and books, my friends at @greysabc and @shondaland who sent clothing and supplies, my sisters who flew in to handle logistics so that I could be with my kids. Thank you to my team who made everything easier.
The actress credited all the people who stepped up to help her and her family in the wake of tragedy, ranging from the person who opened her door on the night of the fire to the first responders to those at Grey’s Anatomy who sent support. She had family, friends, and loved ones who were there for her in a “community” effort in what must have been a very difficult time.
She went on to say that what she and her family learned was that “the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love” and the “only thing that matters is community.” According to Caterina Scorsone, they “would not be here without it and we are so grateful.” She finished the post by sharing some messages to “honor” the space they called home, “say goodbye” to the pets they lost, and “to celebrate” each other. Take a look:
Caterina Scorsone’s message has gained a lot of attention in the brief time since she posted, at the time of writing. On top of the outpouring of support from fans of Dr. Amelia Shepherd and Grey’s Anatomy, co-star Chris Carmack (who plays Amelia’s former love interest Link) commented with praise of her “example of grace under terrible circumstances” and “❤️❤️❤️ love to you and the family.” Jake Borelli, who plays Levi, also commented to say that she’s “truly an incredible human being” and send his love.
It’s nice to see Caterina Scorsone getting some love from her colleagues on Grey’s Anatomy, which – as viewers and streamers via a Hulu subscription saw – actually featured a burning house in Season 19. Hopefully the actress and her family will continue getting all the support that they need, and I have to admire her for going on with her job in a season full of change without letting on that something was wrong while also dealing with so much heartbreak personally.
