POCATELLO — Familiar with the trails throughout the hills southwest of Pocatello, those that were scorched last summer by the Charlotte fire, Scott MacButch, whose home was lost to the blaze, said he actually tried to ride his mountain bike to his home during the fire to get his pickup.

    “When I was pedaling up (the hill from Country Club Drive), deer were flying by me, and I said, ‘That’s it, I give up,’” MacButch said, adding that he promptly turned around and headed back.

    MacButch was working on his computer that afternoon when the power suddenly went out. That’s when he stepped outside his Jana Lane home.

    “Immediately, I noticed a strong wind out of the south and smoke coming,” he said. “So, I jumped in the Jetta and drove up the road.”

    That’s where he saw the burning home of someone he knew. An avid photographer, MacButch shot some photos of the fire before heading back home, where he says wife Lynda was already getting things ready to take with them.

    “We had about 15 minutes to get all your most valuable stuff you are going to get,” MacButch said. “In my case, that was all my camera gear.”

    Also avid outdoors people, MacButch had some rather expensive gear and clothing for camping, skiing, and mountain biking, much of which they also grabbed.

    “Lynda also grabbed her laptop,” he said.

    While his wife left their home in the Jetta, MacButch said he threw his mountain bike on their camper van and grabbed their dog, Pup. His intention was to ride the bike back to the house and grab his pickup, in the cab of which he threw his wallet, iPad and several computer discs.

    After parking the van on Country Club Drive he headed back to his home on the mountain back. He made it about halfway before deciding conditions were just too dangerous for him to continue.

    It was later that night when MacButch knew his home had burned down. He got permission to drive down Portneuf Road to an area where he then parked and walked uphill to the top, where he could get a view of his home site with a pair of binoculars.

    He said their old home had a pretty unique chimney that he was able to spot during one of those moments when the smoke cleared.

    “I saw that, just the chimney standing there, and I knew we were history,” MacButch said. “That confirmed it.”

    But rebuilding wasn’t a decision that came immediately. The couple owns a cabin in Tetonia and Lynda operates a small fly fishing business. MacButch thought initially that it might make sense to just move up there.

    “It looked really nice up there,” he said. “It was green.”

    But Lynda didn’t want to live there full time, he said. Also, they would have taken a significant hit financially for not rebuilding.

    Construction got started in early October, and the shop, which sits down the hill from the main house, was completed in December. The new 3,900-square-foot home features a number of changes from the old home.

    The biggest of which, MacButch said, is a 60-degree shift in where the back deck now faces.

    “We turned it 60 degrees to pick up the better view. Everything is not burnt out there,” he said, pointing toward his view, which he added includes Scout Mountain and Slate Mountain.

    The way the former home was configured, that view would now be comprised primarily of burned hillsides behind his home.

    The layout of the new home is a bit different as well. The former home was about the same total square footage, but featured 1,750 square feet on the main floor and basement, with about half that on the upper-most floor. The new home is two levels at 1,940 square feet for each level.

    There is still a walkout basement and much of the living will be done on the main floor. A convenience that the couple ensured they would include in their new home is a laundry room that is now located on that same level.

    Completion is slated for late May, but MacButch says they are moving in at that time, regardless.

    “We pretty much have to be in here by the end of May because the people we are renting from need to take that place back by then,” MacButch said. “So, we’ll be in here one way or another by the end of May.”

    That’s even if they have to rough it in the basement if construction isn’t done yet. But watching MacButch look around the hills near his home gives one the impression that roughing it for a while won’t be a big deal as long as it gets him back to his home.

    “Oh yeah, I can’t wait to get back up here,” he said. “I think it’s going to come back. Fires are part of the natural deal. It’s never going to be the same, but you’re already seeing things green up.”

Editor’s note

This is part of an ongoing series of stories chronicling the Charlotte Fire recovery efforts. Look for more stories every Monday in the Journal.

If you are on the road to recovery from the Charlotte fire, getting ready to rebuild or even choosing not to rebuild, we would like to hear your story of recovery. Contact Jimmy Hancock at the Idaho State Journal at 239-3137, or via e-mail at jhancock@journalnet.com.