Homes, decades in the making, destroyed in Bear Creek Fire

VIDEO: As damage assessment from the Bear Creek Fire continues, the number of structures destroyed continues to rise, including several homes built by their residents. Nick Clegg Sr. and his wife Kathleen had been working on their cabin for several years, from choosing the very trees that would be used for the timber, to the finishing touches made in the last year. The couple evacuated, but kept tabs on their home. The home remained unscathed initially, but the family received bad news soon thereafter.

โ€œWeโ€™ve kind of been prepared for the possibility [of a wildfire],โ€ Clegg said. โ€œBut youโ€™re still just not prepared for when it actually happens and the site that youโ€™ve worked for for the last 20 years is just not there anymore.โ€ The Cleggs said that they have plans to rebuild, and fortunately they had insurance coverage. Theyโ€™re hoping that those who are around them will be able to recover alongside them.

โ€œA lot of people have offered to help us just build again,โ€ Clegg said. โ€œUnfortunately, we were thinking we were going to get to be the ones who could come up there and help somebody else rebuild, but now we find ourselves being the needy ones.โ€ Others in the area were not as fortunate in regards to insurance coverage. Brent Weber Jr. was one of the less fortunate, who said he lost everything except his truck. Unfortunately, the remote nature of his property made it uninsurable.

KTUU-TV NBC 2 Anchorage

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