What rebuilding from wildfire looks like

When strong winds sent embers flying toward the southern Oregon towns of Talent and Phoenix last September, state fire resources were already stretched thin. A limited number of firefighters faced flames that would soon consume entire neighborhoods.

For photographer Alisha Jucevic, the Almeda Fire was personal. Jucevic went to high school in Ashland, where the blaze began. Her brother pumped water from a nearby creek to protect his house from the flames; her sister lost property she owned and rented out. What started as a breaking news assignment for The New York Times in the wake of the fire morphed into a yearlong project documenting how communities are rebuilding, long after national media attention faded. “It didn’t feel right to just stop following it,” Jucevic said. “I still wanted to go back.”

Her photos chronicle divergent paths to recovery. The fire displaced thousands of people, particularly low-income families, migrant workers and members of the Latino community, who were already struggling with the area’s housing shortage. But, with help, many families have since managed to find a new place to stay. Jucevic captured what regrowth looks like, from meeting new neighbors to graduating from high school. While the sadness lingers and many families still search for housing, Jucevic said, “It was amazing seeing the resiliency of these families through all of this, just how much hope there is for rebuilding and for the future.” – Kylie Mohr is an editorial intern for High Country News writing from Montana.

A row of homes in Talent, Oregon, next to an area devastated by the Almeda Fire. The fire displaced thousands of families in the southern part of the state, destroying almost 2,500 homes in Ashland, Talent and Phoenix on Sept. 8, 2020. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

(left) Crews from Utah Task Force 1, a federal search and rescue team, search for missing residents in the aftermath of the Almeda Fire, which killed three people. / (right) Daniel Verner, 74, looks through what’s left of his home at Mountain View Estates in Talent a few days after the fire. Verner’s wife died from cancer about two years previously, and he was unable to bring her ashes with him when he evacuated. Cadaver dogs located the ashes a few days later. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Rosa Carrera, left, and her daughters, Jenny Flores, center, and Rosita Carrera, right, embrace as, for the first time, they see what is left of their home in mid-September 2020. The family of eight had lived in Phoenix for 15 years. “We have a lot of people who are opening their doors to us, but it’s hard when you just want to go home at the end of the day,” Jenny said. “This was our safe zone.” Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Christy Brooks and her daughter sit outside her trailer at the Emigrant Lake RV Park in Ashland on March 13, 2021. Brooks’ trailer was deemed unfit to live in by the Red Cross after the fire, but she didn’t qualify for aid through FEMA because it didn’t burn down. After three months in a hotel, Brooks, with help from her daughter’s school, was able to get an RV.
Fabiola Granados and her sister, Melanie Cortez Ayala, 8, head back to their hotel room after picking up the free daily lunch in the lobby in Medford, Oregon, in November 2020. The family, who lost their home in the Almeda Fire, lived in a hotel room until December, when they were able to move into temporary FEMA housing in White City, Oregon. Granados, who has spina bifida, frequently travels to a hospital in Portland, over four hours away, for treatment. In May, the family was able to find an apartment and move out of their FEMA housing.
Susan Smith of Phoenix sits with her service dog, Sampson, at her cot in the Jackson County Expo evacuation center in Central Point, Oregon, on Sept. 12, 2020. Smith, whose home was destroyed, has stage 4 liver cancer and stage 3 colon cancer. She missed a chemotherapy appointment that week due to fire evacuations. “This all seems so unreal,” she said.
Julio Flores and his son, Ethan, 3, leave a restaurant in Medford with their family after celebrating the graduation of Flores‘ oldest son, Bryan, in June 2021. The family, who lost their home in the Almeda Fire, currently live at the Rogue Valley RV Park.

Maria Alcala, left, and her family outside their home in White City on Dec. 24, 2020. The trailer also houses Maria’s daycare. After the family’s home burned down in the Almeda Fire, they moved into the two back rooms while the daycare continues to run. “Thank God we have the spirit to continue to fight,” she said. (left) One of the only things Betzy Velazquez was able to save was this photo from her quinceañera. “For me, it was a very happy day. My family, we don’t do big birthdays, and this was all my friends and family, also from California. I was very happy that day.” (right). Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Melanie Cortez Ayala, 8, attends school online at a hotel in Medford in November 2020. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Rafe Tejada-Ingram and his daughter, Opal, 7, play music together before dinner at his parents’ house in Ashland on March 14, 2021. The apartment the family was renting burned down in the Almeda Fire, forcing them to stay with relatives. Later, with the help of friends and family, they were able to make a down payment on a home in Talent. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

A sign reading “Si Se Puede” or “Yes, We Can!” in Talent in late September 2020 (top left) . Signs of new growth are seen outside burned homes (top right). Elias Wechsler waits in line for food with friends at an event in Medford on June 12. The week following the Almeda fire, Elias got a tattoo of a burning tree on the back of his leg (bottom left). The photographer’s sister, Rose Otter, her husband, Chris Presicci, and their children, Enzo and Poppy, look at their property in Talent after meeting with a general contractor to discuss rebuilding (bottom right). Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Rafe Tejada-Ingram and his partner, Lina, fix up their new home in Talent in March 2021. Lina keeps imagining arranging their belongings in the new house, then remembering that they lost those things in the fire.
A smoky haze from West Coast wildfires fills the air as Carol Vergin and her husband, Kevin, paint their new home together in Phoenix on Sept. 5, 2021. “We were so lucky. Our life was not impacted as much as a lot of people, but you throw COVID on top of everything, and it makes it more difficult,” said Carol, who works as a nurse at Southern Oregon University.
Eli Otter, the photographer’s brother, replaces a fence around his property in Talent in late December 2020. He, his girlfriend and a best friend managed to save the home by pumping water from a nearby creek. He wanted to leave the charred boards as a reminder of the fire.
Portland and southern Oregon’s chapters of League of United Latin American Citizens, Portland’s Immigration Counseling Service and Oregon Latinx Leadership Network hand out Christmas gifts to more than 70 families affected by the wildfire at Phoenix Elementary School on Dec. 19, 2020.
Ramiro Padilla hands out Mexican hot chocolate and sweet bread on Three King’s Day, “Día de Reyes,” in Ashland on Jan. 6, 2021. After the Almeda Fire, Ramiro’s daughter, Yahaira Padilla, stepped up as a leader in organizing aid to help the region’s Mexican American and immigrant communities.

After they lost their homes in the fire, Marco Rodriguez, left, his wife, Angelina Camargo, second from left, and Angelina’s brother, Marcelo Camargo, second from right, pooled their insurance money to purchase a single home in Medford. The family gathered there on Dec. 26, 2020. “It feels so nice to have a house for Christmas and a safe place for my kids,” Marco said. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Cherie Grubbs and Daniel Verner in front of their new home in Phoenix in December 2020. The couple lived in neighboring trailers until both burned down. Grubbs said they went from the honeymoon phase to the commitment phase overnight because of the fires. “The thing that saved both of us was having each other,” Verner said. “I feel that I’m alive today by having Cherie.” Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Maggie Taylor-Cheek, 19, left, embraces her boyfriend, Bryan Flores, 18, after Bryan’s graduation at Phoenix High School on June 12, 2021. Taylor and Flores both lost their homes in the Almeda Fire. They’re attending different colleges this fall, but Taylor-Cheek said they’re not too worried about the distance. “The couple that survived the fire can survive anything,” she said. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

(left) Graduating seniors throw their caps in the air during the Phoenix High School commencement ceremony in June 2021. About 30% of the graduating class lost their homes in the Almeda Fire. (right) A historically low water line at Emigrant Lake, outside Ashland, on April 2, 2021. More than 20 families who were displaced by the fire live in trailers at the Emigrant Lake RV Park. Credit: Alisha Jucevic

Smoke from distant wildfires fills the air as Armando Almanza makes his way back to his mobile home in Phoenix in early September 2021. The home is part of a new FEMA development. Almanza’s partner, Stephanie Bartz, said moving into it was a lifesaver: Her family of four had been squeezed into a one-bedroom rental since last winter after they lost their home. She’s worried about what will happen when FEMA housing runs out. “It would be nice if families got a chance to purchase the homes, because there is nothing else available here,” she said. “We need a stable place.” Credit: Alisha Jucevic

This photo essay was supported in part by a 2020Yunghi Grant.

Alisha Jucevic is a freelance photographer currently based in Portland, Oregon. With a background in community newspapers, Jucevic hopes her work can help people find compassion and understanding for others.

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This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The aftermath of wildfire.

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