Road to Recovery: family rebuilding after home lost in fire

MCKENZIE RIVER VALLEY, Ore. -- Driving up the McKenzie River, the lots alongside the river tell a lot of different stories.

After the Holiday Farm Fire devastated the area in 2020, efforts to rebuild homes began. Now, some people are living in their new homes, while others are getting closer with construction underway. However, others are still struggling to start the process.

Tiffany Simonis and her family lost their home in the Holiday Farm Fire only three months after they had moved in. When the fire was burning, Simonis was on her way to work when she learned about the fire, so she turned around and drove back – directly towards the flames.

“You’ve got less than two seconds to make the decision,” Simonis said. “Am I going to be stuck on this side, away from my family on the fire, or am I going to be stuck on that side closer to them?”

With the help of two firefighters, she rescued her daughter, niece and sister. With the house destroyed, the family moved into a fifth wheel camper while they worked to get back on their feet. Now, two years later, Simonis and her family are living in a new camper with much more space.

“This one has an actual bedroom area, so my daughter has her own bedroom with a door,” Simonis said.

Even so, the Simonises are at a standstill. They’ve had to stop work on their half-built shop because the original estimate of $50,000 to rebuild it has ballooned to $115,000. Their house itself is in a similar situation. In addition to estimate woes, they’ve had to sink $30,000 into a new well and septic system because it wasn’t covered by insurance.

“You think, ‘it's home insurance and it's going to cover what you need for a home,’ and it doesn't,” Simonis said.

But like many others, they’re frustrated.

“We're not the only ones. There's only been maybe 40 houses that have been completed -- 40 houses out of four hundred and thirty something... that burned. In two years. 40 houses. look at Otis, look at Phoenix, look at Talent, all these places that burned. We're so far behind,” Simonis said.

As the Simonises head into year three of life after the fire, they still have no doubt that this is where they want to be. They’re still hopeful that by this time next year, they’ll be much further along on their road to recovery.

Two years after the Holiday Farm Fire swept through the McKenzie River area, residents are still picking up the pieces -- and returning to normal life.

Watch Renee McCullough on KEZI 9 News weeknights at 5 and 6 alongside Matt Templeman.

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