The Hawk Fire destroyed more than 40 homes, and the Poindexters' home was among them. They spent Thursday digging through ash and ruin, looking to salvage any memories.
“We didn't have a lot of time. We were out when we first found out about the fire,” said Jeff Poindexter. “So we didn't have a whole lot of time when we got home to grab, to sift through anything to grab. ‘Okay, we need this and this and this,’ but it was just important paperwork.”
Jeff and his wife, Carolyne, spoke about regrets, like only grabbing important paperwork that, in hindsight, could have been replaced relatively easily.
“There are things that we lost that are worth money,” said Carolyn Poindexter. “I might have… I probably still would have jumped over all of that and grabbed things that meant more to me than just the clothes and the important paperwork.”
They also wished they had taken creating defensible space around their property more seriously. Their neighbors had more than them, and those homes survived.
While losing their home has been heartbreaking for them, they are so thankful for the work fire crews did in saving their neighborhood.
“With what they had to deal with, they did an absolute amazing job,” said Jeff. “I mean, we lost our house, but you can't save everything. So, yeah, that's... Thank you.”
More than anything, they feel blessed by the outpouring of love and support they've received.
“We absolutely are overwhelmed with the amount of support that we're getting from everyone in the community. Friends, family, friends of friends, family of friends, the whole everything,” said Carolyn. “And they've come out in a way we never expected. And that has been overwhelming.”
They ask that in six months, when everything has died down, folks should reach out to those still rebuilding their homes and lives. They say that's when support will be needed the most.
A friend of theirs put together a GoFundMe for them, which can be found here: Fundraiser by Autumn Janoss : Support the Poindexter Family After Hawk Fire.
A local cornhole club is also holding a tournament this weekend, with all funds donated directly to the Poindexters, as well as all the fund from a silent auction at the tournament. The information is listed below.
