Firefighters continue to chip away at containing the Hawk Fire, which broke out on Saturday, August 22.
At the time, Luke Opperman was on a backpacking trip with his family and Boy Scout Troop 88, of which he is Scoutmaster.
Cell service on the expedition was spotty, but they did receive an emergency notification for the Hawk Fire.
It was rapidly approaching his home near Seneca Drive.
His wife, Hilery Opperman, and his two daughters rushed home to save what they could. Luke Opperman says he wasn’t worried at first.
“I’ve been through a few fires and thought, no worries. We got a lot of defensible space,” he says.
But when his family arrived, it became clear this was no ordinary fire.
“Within about five minutes, [my wife] saw flames on top of the hill, which is a mile away or so,” Opperman says. “And then within five minutes, the flames were in our neighbor's backyard."
Hilery Opperman saved their chickens, dogs and goats, as well as important documents and some photos. Their fish and bees also survived.
Luke Opperman says teaching their 13-year-old daughter to drive proved essential to getting more animals and a car out of the neighborhood.
The family found out their home was a total loss on Sunday. The evacuation orders lifted on Thursday, and they saw the devastation up close.
“We were bawling our eyes out as soon as we came into the neighborhood,” he says. “It's like, not just myself and our property here that we've been over 35 years, but it's like 20, 30 of my neighbors here. “It's unfathomable to see this devastation widespread of like the neighborhood is gone."
The Oppermans’ chimney is still standing, surrounded by piles of burned rubble. You can make out their washer and dryer, garage, front door, and truck, but not much else.
“It was, very upsetting just to think about all of the memories, the memoirs, all the fun times we've had here,” Luke Opperman says. “But over the last couple days, we've been able to digest a lot of this stuff is replaceable."
Slowly but surely, Opperman says the only way forward is through.
“Right now, we're just thinking about baby steps, you know, can we get temporary housing?” he says. “There's so many programs that have provided very temporary assistance and been very generous."
The devastation to the Oppermans’ property extends beyond themselves.
Since Troop 88's weekend excursion was a backpacking trip, their scout trailer stayed behind in the Opperman shed. Now, the troop's camping supplies and records sit in a pile of ashes.
“It's very difficult to think about how much time that we spend out in the outdoors with other scouting families, Scout youth and just about anybody that wants to go play and enjoy our great state,” Opperman says.
Among the lost gear was 25 tents, enough for 50 scouts. It's going to take a long time to replace their inventory, but the Scoutmaster is optimistic.
“I think we all have it in us to rebuild and just stay positive and focus on what's ahead,” Opperman says.
The family is thankful for the overwhelming outpouring of support from the community. Opperman says thousands of people have already reached out to him and his neighbors to show their support.
“I thought Reno was changing over the last, you know, 20 years with growth,” he says, “but an event like this really warms my heart, to see everybody reaching out and just the amount of care. So, go Reno.”
Multiple GoFundMes have been organized to support the Oppermans, including one set up by Kristine Stebbins and Kathryn Waldron and another by Jennifer Cloninger and Lisa Kadz. A dedicated website is available as well.
Opperman is asking people who want to support Troop 88 to reach out via email at luke.nevada@gmail.com.
Both his family and the boy scout troop are now rebuilding.
