BOZEMAN — Sharon Davis has lived in the Bridger Foothills for more than 30 years. "The country was beautiful and my husband had taken up fly fishing," Davis explained as the reason why she and husband Howard shared their time between Dallas, TX and Bozeman. "This was my husband's favorite place," Davis said.
Photo: Sharon and Howard Davis together on vacation
Five years ago Davis and her family were grieving Howard's sudden death when the Bridger Foothills Fire broke out. Davis and her daughter tried to keep an eye on the blaze, but because of the way the house was situated, they didn't see it coming. "But a neighbor called me who lives across the road and she said, you can't see it, but the fire's getting really close to your road," Davis said.
RELATED — Bozeman Father, Daughter Fight Side-by-Side Against Bridger Foothills Fire
Davis decided it was time to evacuate. "We started putting stuff in our car, left with two cars, two dogs, three grandchildren and as much stuff as we could gather," Davis said.
The family sought refuge with a friend in Wilsal. The next day, Davis returned to the home she had shared with her late husband for decades. "I drove up here... and my heart just sank," Davis recalled. The home had burned to the ground, one of 30 house lost in the Bridger Foothills fire.
"It was still smoldering, everything was black and it was all gone,"
Days later, with the help of friends and family, Davis began digging through the ashes looking for anything that survived the fire. They rescued several items including holiday decorations, a set of metal chairs that belonged to Davis' mother, and her husband's guns and fly fishing rods.
Photos: House remains after Bridger Foothills Fire
Eventually Davis made the decision to rebuild. After more than a year, the new home was completed. On the front porch sits the rescued chairs, now restored and painted red. Other rescued items can be found around the house, including one of her husband's guns that sits about the mantel, and pieces of a ceramic trivet that belonged to Davis' grandmother can be found in the kitchen backsplash. Davis even found a use for the burned trees surrounding her property. "The floors in the house are made from the dead trees," Davis explained,"I asked my contractor if he could make the flooring from the Douglas Fir and he said I'll find a mill and he did."
WATCH: Raw memories resurface 5 yrs after the Bridger Foothills Fire
Now, five years later after the loss and the rebuilding, Davis reflects on the experience and how she and her remaining neighbors have move on, "I think the community really pulled together... some people didn't rebuild and they moved out of the canyon as we call it, and the dynamics have changed."
