I have updated this with a link to an interview on KPAX TV. You will find it at the bottom of this story. Thanks to all of you who have donated!

On the evening of December 9th, our close friends Dale Lackner & Laura Roxbury's beautiful home in the Nine Mile Valley was completely destroyed in a devastating house fire. It was a total loss of many unique collections as well as all of their personal possessions and sadly, 2 beloved cats.

Dale grew up in the Okeefe Creek Valley east of Frenchtown, MT. While attending college, he worked summers as a wildland firefighter and later as a smokejumper. He finished his education and started a career as a teacher. His teaching career took him to his beloved Alaska. That is where he met his wife, Laura. She was a teacher as well, and they both taught together in the remote villages of Alaska. While there, they purchased land in the Nine Mile Valley. In 1994, using their own labor and with the help of many friends, they began construction of their Montana dream home. Only being able to work on the house in the summer months, it took them many years to build their home, only to have it disappear in one frightful evening.

When they start the process of rebuilding a new home, we hope the donations received will help them get through this difficult time of re-establishing their life in Nine Mile. The life they knew has been dramatically changed and it is going to take a considerable amount of time, money, and effort for this challenging endeavor to begin.

The photo above is the view from their building site. Let's help them to enjoy this lovely view again.

https://www.kpax.com/news/western-montana-news/a-lot-of-good-times-in-that-house-couple-picking-up-pieces-after-ninemile-house-fire