LOUISVILLE, Colorado — Almost one year after the Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes, the first home being rebuilt is finally complete.
Jessica Carson lost her Louisville home on December 30th last year. A day after the fire, Carson called her contractors at Wood Brothers Homes.
"That was the biggest goal, just to get back here. I miss here, I miss the community and the people. I’m happy to have neighbors to come back soon," said Carson.
Friends, family and neighbors celebrated the milestone with a ribbon cutting on Friday morning.
"It’s been a year, but look at the devastation that happened, it’s just an amazing feat that this community has accomplished here," said Fred Zehr, Carson's father. "She’s a very driven person, and when she makes a decision, she follows through and gets things done. I’m really proud of her."
During the ribbon-cutting, one neighbor told Carson she is an "inspiration" as others wait to have their homes completed. In some cases, fire survivors describe constant obstacles and difficulty in moving the process forward. Many have described the most difficult step as receiving a building permit.
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"My son’s room is right up there and when I look at that, he is going to get just a front-row view of houses coming up. Every time I come back, there is another house. There is another foundation, there is another hole dug, so it’s really exciting," said Carson.
The family had furniture delivered to their home later on Friday and plan to celebrate the holidays with relatives in their newly-built home.
Louisville marks the first jurisdiction to see a home completed. Superior is not far behind with properties undergoing final inspection next week. Boulder County has also not issued any building occupancy certificates.
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