Wyoming family recovers wildfire losses thanks to community help

GILLETTE, Wyo. — Although the Short Draw fire has mostly been contained, the damage has been done.

Thousands of acres of land have been burned and livestock has been lost, but few have lost as much as Jesse Raymond.

The Short Draw fire destroyed his home on the Wyoming side of the border. Now, he just has his family and the clothes on his back.

Luckily, his small community has come together to help him and his family through these trying times.

It’s been a tough and long week for Raymond, his significant other, Cheyenne, and their three children.

“(It’s been) difficult, really emotional, trying to figure everything out,” Raymond said.

The Short Draw fire broke out Sept. 11, about five miles outside his ranchette home in northern Campbell County, Wyoming, about 10 miles south of the Montana border.

He and his family were the among the first to evacuate.

Cheyenne was the first to witness the fire.

“Cheyenne looked up, and she could see the flames,” he said.

Just a few devastating hours later, they lost everything from their possessions, photos, to a ramp they built for their child back in July.

“Nothing really came out of it… the kid’s baby pictures that we don’t have anymore, all the, anything you could think of, they got burned down to the blocks,” Raymond said.

One thing they do have is community support. His work family at Big D Oil helped Raymond’s family stay in a hotel and started collecting donations from the community. One of his colleagues who’s been super passionate about helping is his regional manager, Joanna Robertson.

Jesse Raymond

“He’s not family, but he’s family. We’ll do anything for him, whatever he needs to get him back on his feet,” she said.

Some of his co-workers even came together to start a GoFundMe.

“Oh, the whole community came together. It’s amazing. It’s amazing how much everybody has jumped in to help us,” Robertson said.

Raymond and his family appreciate all the support from the community. To him, it’s all about those little moments.

“One of my boys, Levi, he’s a little cowboy, and someone dropped off a bunch of cowboy shirts, and this morning he had the biggest smile on his face, tucking that cowboy shirt in,” Raymond told MTN.

Jesse Raymond

Even though Raymond and his family are going through a rough patch, his community has his back throughout the entire ride.

“You talk about (help), but when you actually see it, it’s like a a totally different wavelength. It brings everyone closer, and I’m glad that that’s happened in my life,” he said.