Recovery continues 2 years after Black Forest Fire

The community is looking back Thursday at the most destructive wildfire in state history.

The Black Forest Fire killed two people and destroyed nearly 500 homes.

“Within just a few seconds, lots of smoke came,” saidTheresa Strader, a Black Forest homeowner. “This whole thing went from being scary to terrifying literally at the snap of a finger.”

Strader is the founder of the National Mill Dog Rescue. As the fire approached her home, she was focused on keeping rescued dogs safe from the fire.

“Itook a piece of paper and wrote down every living thing on the property, human and animal,” Strader said. “We knew exactly what crates were going in which vehicle, and which people were going in which cars.”

The homeStrader and her family lived in for 17 years was destroyed, but they were determined to rebuild.

“The dog who founded our rescue is buried here on this property, and we’re not going to leave her behind,” she said.

After 16 months, the Straders were able to return home. They are are still recovering and miss the scenery that surrounded them before the fire.

“It’s never going to feel like home without the trees,”Strader said. “The reason I bought this place almost 20 years ago is because of the trees.”