David Wright lived in his small Kasilof cabin for 20 years. He was working on the docks in the Kasilof area and saw the property for sale. He was always planning to build a bigger home on the land, but didn’t get around to it. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, Wright’s entire home burned to the ground.

He said he went to the post office Saturday afternoon, then to a friend’s house and when he came back, he saw smoke coming out of the cracks in the walls of his house. He tested the door handle, which wasn’t too hot, and opened the door.

“Smoke was about two feet off the floor. I hear a ‘psst’ and said, ‘Alright, I’m out of here,”’ he said. “And I stood behind the trucks and it started really going. So I left, went over to the neighbors, and used their phone to call 911.”

According to Central Emergency Services Fire Chief Roy Browning, responders arrived at the scene around 2 p.m. They had the fire under control in about 14 minutes, but because the home was already engulfed when they arrived, the home couldn’t be saved. Seventeen firefighters responded to the scene.

It’s a busy time of year for CES. They’re on track to respond to 3,000 calls by the end of the year, and they’ve already eclipsed their total number of calls from last year.

Wright lost everything in the fire, including photos, important documents and medications. He said the site where his home once stood just looks like a big, black spot.

One item he’s hoping survived is an arrowhead necklace that he’s had for a long time. One arrowhead he found himself. Once the site thaws, Wright is going to visit the place in the house where he thinks the necklace was last located, and dig through the ashes.

He said watching his home burn to the ground was torture.

“I can say it’s hell, actually. All you can do is just stand there and watch everything go up in smoke. A lot of stuff you’ll never get back or anything,” he said.

Wright is planning to rebuild on the property and he’s getting help from the community. After the fire, Wright’s neighbor, Erica Johnson, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help him rebuild. It’s already raised more than $2,000.

The GoFundMe page explains that Wright is a veteran who didn’t have home insurance and is on a fixed income. One donor writes that his house burned down in 1984, but he was able to rebuild thanks to a fundraiser from the Kasilof and Clam Gulch communities.

The cause of the fire at Wright’s home is still under investigation. Browning said the best way for people to protect themselves from devastating fires is to make sure they have operating smoke alarms, and if they have a wood-burning stove, to make sure the flue is clean.