Green Country Family Rebuilds After Losing Home To Fire

A Green Country family is proving it is possible to rebuild after losing everything. Their home burned to the ground one year ago. The family said they hope to encourage others by sharing their journey.

"It was 19 below zero," said Mayor Jim Vogt of Kellyville. 

"I had started my tool truck, warming it up getting ready for the day to go to work," said Jim, "All the sudden the engine made a loud noise and it died- I tried to restart it and nothing would happen."

"A few minutes later my son-in-law shows up to drop-off Archie. He comes running in the house screaming, 'Your truck is on fire! Your tool truck is on fire!'" said Jim, "My wife told me to run back into the bedroom and get the homemade quilt off the bed - when I did, I looked out the bedroom window and all I could see was fire."

That is when they faced the decision of whether or not to rebuild.

"We knew, regardless of how things looked that we would get through it," said Jim.

Jim said he stood in the middle of the street for hours, watching his house burn to the ground.

"Kind of a helpless feeling. Helpless but not hopeless," said Jim.

Their home today is rebuilt and refurbished. Jim posted a photo on Facebook of his home one year ago versus today - with the hope of encouraging other families that transformation is possible.

Inside the new house, their grandson Archie plays. The quilt saved from the fire is proudly showcased; a little piece of the old house in the family's new beginning.

"It means a lot to me, I worked on it for a long time, and it feels like it is part of me," said Yvonne Vogt, Jim's wife.

"We trust God. We knew he would see us through. He always turns a tragedy into a triumph," said Jim.