A devastating blaze dubbed the Pinebrooke Fire incinerated a home and another structure Wednesday in the vicinity of Florence, with reports from ABC15 revealing that the wildfire, now completely contained, ravaged as many as eight acres before firefighters could extinguish it, residents who were evacuated are now being allowed back into their homes with a cautious reminder that personnel remain on scene.
In the fire's destructive wake, a 90-year-old Korean and Vietnam War veteran, Jerry Noland, has been left with nothing but ashes where his home once stood and an unyielding faith, according to a heartfelt interview with ABC15, neighbors and friends have since launched a fundraising effort to aid Noland, who managed to make it to safety with his goats but his companion, a dog named Cissy, went missing amid the chaos, and the search for her continues.
Noland's caretaker, Lisa Somerton, lamented the overwhelming task ahead, telling ABC15, "How do you start over when you’re 90?" echoing the sentiment of a community shaken yet rallying around one of their own, mobilizing resources for physical donations and to help with cleaning the scorched remains of a life that was.
The broader conflagration, known as the Wildcat Fire, continues to rage in the Tonto National Forest, standing at roughly 14,402 acres and only 36% contained according to updates from ABC15, this comes amidst a particularly tumultuous week that has pitted fire crews against nature's fury, for those interested in lending a hand, Somerton has reached out via email for anyone willing to offer help to the veteran left with nothing but hope.
With the cause of the fire still under investigation as per the last reports by ABC15, the community's gesture stands as a testament to resilience, and as Noland was quoted, "It’s a fallacy to say it’s all gone. That is so wrong because we still got God," a man facing his loss not with despair, but a steadfast belief in starting anew.
