Tooele residents begin to rebuild after massive July arson fire


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TOOELE — It’s been a little over a month since a catastrophic fire tore through a community in Tooele.

But slowly, some residents are starting to rebuild.

On the corner of Concord Dr. and Vandyke Way, the sounds of hammers and drills fill the air. The sound of a new beginning for some residents.

“Heartbreaking. It's the sadness of losing your community right here,” neighborhood resident, Margurette Boswell said.

But for Boswell, the sounds of construction don't mask the sorrow that still lingers, more than a month later. She says it’s hard to forget that night. The night the view from her front porch changed in an instant.

“I find myself crying quite often looking out there just saying ‘it’s not the same,’” Boswell said.

She considers herself one of the lucky ones. The damage to her home was minimal.

“We lost the jeep and a utility trailer. All my trees were burned, but they’re coming back.”

But Boswell says she often thinks of the ones who weren’t so lucky. That’s what pains her the most.

“It’s been a long, hard process,” she said.

Seeing her entire community start over hasn't been easy, but it's the support, Boswell says, that has helped so many people make it through.

“It's amazing (all) the kindness.”

For her the sounds of a hammer and a drill filling the streets may be bitter-sweet. But more importantly, she says, those noises are a reminder to never give up the one thing that keeps her and her community moving forward — hope.

“We do hope to have our little area back, and hopefully better than it was before. You can always hope for that!”

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Nicole Vowell

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