BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The rebuilding process has been slow and difficult for residents who lost their homes in the Marshall Fire, and that’s why some are choosing not to rebuild.
When we spoke to Linda Jackson the day after the fire destroyed her home in Louisville’s Enclave neighborhood, she was determined to live out her next big adventure.
“Rebuild? Yes, I will. I love living in Louisville,” Jackson said at the time.
But the reality of permits, contractors and construction changed her mind.
“I realized I'm going to be 75 in January. Do I really want to go through this deal of rebuilding?” she told Denver7 one year later.
After much thought, Jackson decided to buy a home in Broomfield. She moved into her new home in December after battling a tough housing market.
“I paid more for this house than I probably should have. I had to sell all my stocks, and I had to sell all my stocks low,” Jackson said.
It’s not the most ideal situation. Many rooms in her new home are unfurnished. Much of the furniture she does have was donated by A Precious Child.
So, Jackson decided to go back to work.
“They picked me to be the nanny for this new little baby, the newborn baby. And it's in Louisville,” she said.
That decision to go back to work is partially because Jackson hasn’t had any interested buyers on the property where her home in Louisville once stood. She tried selling it on her own, then got a realtor.
Jackson isn’t the only Marshall Fire victim who decided to sell. A year later, she hasn’t lost touch with her neighbors, who still get together even though some like her have moved to other communities.
“We do feel connected. We all hug. It is just so unbelievable to go through that neighborhood. I lived there for 20 years,” Jackson said.
Jackson is frustrated no cause for the fire has been determined and no one has been found responsible.
But she is determined to move on. She just returned from a trip to Egypt, Israel, and Jordan — a trip that was cancelled last year when her passport was destroyed in the fire.
“A lot of tragedy in my life, but you just enjoy life and do things and move on. And that's what I'm doing, moving on," Jackson said.