Cushing Family, Rebuilding After Wildfire, Hit By Thieves

A family who lost their home in August's wildfire near Cushing woke up to another setback; thieves targeted their property and made off with thousands of dollars in building materials that were being used to rebuild the family's home.

Daniel Cargil said he cannot catch a break lately. His house burned to the ground during the summer wildfires and he lost his job. He and his wife did not give up, though. They laid the foundation for a new house, just feet away from the original house torched by fire on a day the family will never forget.

"It was hell on Earth around here," recalled Cargil. "It came across the back of the property on the other side of the trees and the firefighters put it out. A few minutes later, second wave came through and they didn't get it."

All the fire left behind was a slab of concrete, shattered glass and some charred trees. Losing his house in the fire was the first punch. The second punch was when thieves stole the materials he planned to use to build a new home.

"My lumber was all stacked up and was just getting started on this and had the footing done and they took most of my lumber," explained Cargil.

He says the suspects got away with about $3,000 worth of building supplies and set back the timeline for building the new house.

"It's hard, it's just hard."

Through all this, though, Cargil never lost his sense of humor. He says it helps focus him for the next step: Rebuilding a home for his wife.

"Going to have a big man shower, I'm not really a small fella," he said. "It's just four rooms and a house. You know, it's not much but it's a mansion to me."

Cargil filed a police report but said he does not think the lumber will be recovered.