The Hawk Fire left a trail of devastation across the North Valleys, destroying homes and forcing families to confront the loss of decades of memories, family heirlooms and the places they called home.
As residents return to survey the damage, many are beginning the difficult process of starting over. For two families, the fire wiped out not just property, but the homes they had built their lives around — including a family home that was nearly paid off and a mountaintop house built by hand over decades.
When evacuation orders came down, Hilery and Luke Opperman hurried to leave, loading their children, pets and livestock and expecting they would only be gone for a few days. Hilary Opperman said she initially believed the fire would not reach their neighborhood.
“It’s another wildfire trying to determine if this is the one that will come into the neighborhood. I didn’t think that it would be, especially watching it up on the hills. I didn’t think that it would be, but seeing the flames as we were evacuated just 100 feet from us,” she said…