On September 7th late into the night Mike, Kerri, daughter Avery and Kambra were faced with the unimaginable choice of scrambling to leave their home as The Echo Mountain Fire rapidly closed in on them. They were able to make a quick getaway to save their lives but had to hurriedly leave everything they had worked for behind, praying their home would be spared. They (along with several pets) evacuated into Lincoln City, Oregon and then two days later they were forced to evacuate again and flee from the raging wildfires never knowing if their homestead would survive. Mike, Kerri Paxton and Kerri’s sister Kambra Buell moved to Lincoln City a few years ago. Their dream was to find a piece of land and carve out a small homestead. The three of them worked hard to save money and in May of last year they bought a piece of property. The home needed extensive remodeling and the land was overgrown. The three of them took each new task in stride and turned this house into a home. They dreamed of sustainable living, growing a garden, and raising chickens. Recently they made that dream a reality. Mike started his garden and built a magnificent chicken coop. The three of them set about raising their chickens. They loved the chickens as pets and adored their individual personalities. Even though life hasn’t been easy with Mike’s disabilities and the loss of their Son (and nephew) Kameron several years prior they finally had some tranquility on this piece of property in the mountains. A time to finally pause and breath. They loved their simple life, their home and their animals. Everything changed a week ago as The Echo Mountain fire tore down upon them. It was quick, swift and brutal. Here we sit almost a week later. They have each other. They have learned through word of mouth and photographs they are somewhat fortunate. Their home still stands although damaged. The out buildings, garage, travel trailer and chicken coop are gone. Everything inside these structures are gone. Things they stored away for when they remodeled. Many items are irreplaceable and family heirlooms. All are gone. Miraculously their chickens are alive and living off a portion of the garden that survived. It’s very important they are able to rebuild the coop to provide shelter and safety for these birds. They don’t have a lot of money. Their savings has gone into their home. Insurance will provide some relief as they rebuild but there are many things that won’t be covered. Mike has been disabled for many years because of a cervical spine injury, Kerri works as a 911 operator and Kambra works for a vacation rental company. Kerri was actually taking 911 calls the night they evacuated. As calls were coming in she realized her own home and family were in danger. These are good, kind people who would give the shirt off of their back to help anyone in need. Now they need our help. The first thing of importance is the Chicken Coop and run. It’s extremely important this gets rebuilt quickly to provide shelter and protection. They need to purchase food for the chickens, as all of this was lost. They may have some vet bills if they find injuries from the fires. After that any money collected will go toward replacing and rebuilding items not covered by insurance. Please help them recover from this devastation. Even a few dollars helps. Please help them rebuild their dream. Please use the following hashtags to help spread awareness. Please share this post through social media. #herdonthehilltop #echomountainfire #otisstrong #paxtonbuellfirefund #lincolncityfires