Loss of House to The Golden Fire

On July 22, 2023, my 64-year-old Veteran father, Jim Vaughan (known to many as Hippy Jim) lost his house to The Golden Fire. My dad was a firefighter for over 25 years and fought to defend our community and the forest that he loved.

My father first started to build his house by hand in 1983. It was a glorious 2 story house with a rock foundation cellar that sat on 6 acres of land that we lovingly called “The Hobby House”. This house was not only his pride and joy but also his kids. My brother, my sister, and I grew up at The Hobby House and could tell you countless memories about it and how the house continued to see improvement as it was built over the years. The Hobby House wasn’t the only thing my dad loved about this property; he loved his trees. I can honestly say that this property was the love of his life and his dream. Anyone that knows my dad knows how much time he took to care for it, as those who would come and see it would find themselves in awe of the natural beauty and the effort he took to preserve his paradise. After 40 years, my dad was adding the final step to completing his house, a septic tank. In fact, this tank was sitting outside of the house ready to be put in. He was finally getting ready to move into his dream home after all these years of working and providing for his family and community.

That’s when last week we were met with the devastating loss of our home and forest to the fire. Despite being retired, my father was one of the first on scene to try and stop the spread of the fire and aid fellow firefighters. Unfortunately, they were unable to save my dad’s beloved home and trees. All that is left of The Hobby House is the rocks from the foundation. The septic tank that was about to be put in is nothing but ash. The once beautiful trees and forest are nothing but a memory. Because the septic tank wasn’t put in, the house was considered “incomplete”, and my father couldn’t get insurance on The Hobby House.

While my dad will never get his Hobby House back, nor will any of us ever see the forest come back in our lifetime- I am starting this GoFundMe for my dad to help him get back on his feet and in hopes that he can rebuild a home once again.

Any amount of contribution and support to my father would be appreciated. Thank you.