It's been eight years since the Black Forest Fire, which destroyed 74-year-old Dale Gardner's house.
Now the county is forcing him to get it cleaned up to avoid court, but recent health issues have made it difficult for him, now there is a community-wide effort to help him.
NEW TONIGHT...THE COMMUNITY IS RALLYINARG OUNDA BLACK FOREST MAN WHO MAYE BTAKEN TO COURT BY THE COUN.
TYTHE 74-YEAR-OLD VIETNAM VETERANLOST EVERYTHING IN THE BLACKFOREST FIRE OF 2013..HE HAS HAD SOME STRUGGS LEGETTING HIS PROPERTY CLEANED UPBECAUSE OF HEALTH ISSUES.NEWS FIVE'S MAYO DAVISON IS VELITONIGHT IN BLACK FOREST TOEXPLAIN HOW THE COMMUNITY PLANSTO HELP THIS SATURY.DAWELL YOU CAN'T TELL FROM WREHEI'M STANDING RIGHT NOW....BUT THIS VAST PROPERTYS ILITTERED WITH ZEDONS OF DOWNEDTREES...RMFA EQUIPMENT... AND PIECES OFSCRAP METAL LIKE THIS.WHICH THE COUNTY SAYALS L NEEDSTO GO.DALE GARDNER WAS A WELDER...AND THIS...HIS LIFE'S WORK...BUT THE FIRE DESTROYEDEVERYTHING..LEAVING A MESS TOO BIG FOR HIMTO CLEAN UP.THAT'S WHERE OPERATION BURN SCARCOMEINS .NATS- WINDI SAW THE FIRE AND THE TRUS CKBURNING, CARS BURNING, HOUSESBURNING.IT'S BEEN EIGHT YEARS SINCE THEBLACK FOREST FIR..E.MY HOUSEAS W BURNED, MY SHOP WASBURNED, EVERYTHING WAS GONE.NATS-DALE WALKINGAND DALE GARDNER STILL SPENDSHIS DAYS...PICKING UP THE PIECES.NATS- DALE GARDNER MOVINGSHEETS OF SCP MERATALI DID HAUL, I THINK IT WAS ATOTAL OFOU FR GREAT BIGROLL-OFFS OF JUNK AND METAL WHENIT FIRST HAPPENED.BUT BACK PROBLEMS HAVE MADITEDIFFICT.ULNATS- ZACHARY SMITH WALKINGTHROUGH GRASS WITHRO DNE NOWFELLOW VETERAN ZACHARY SMITH ISSTEPPING IN TO HELP.WHEN YOU HEAR A VETERATHN AT ISIN NEED.I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ASKS THEMOTIVE OR THE REAS.
ONIF THEY ARE WILLING TO VOICETHAT THEY NEED HELP ORIGINALLY,THAT'S ALL I NEED TO HR.EAHE'S PUTTING TOGETHER ACOMMUNITY CLEAN-UP EVENT.I'M HOPING THAT WE GET IT ALL INONE DAY.NATS- ZACHARY FLYING DRONEMAPPING OUT THE AREA TO GEANTIDEA OF ALL OF THE DOWNED TRS EEAND PIECES OF SCRAP METAL THATNEED TO .
GOBIG TASKS THAT WILL REQUIRA EBIG TEAM.WE ARE LOOKING FOR BASICALLYANYONE.CIVILIANS, MILITARY, ANYBODYWHS O'A VETERAN.TO HELP A VETERAN ON THE VERGEOF LOSING EVYTERHING HE'S EVERKNOWN.VERY HAPPY TO ME TO KNOW THEREARE THBO MILITARY AND CIVILIANSPEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP.I AM A VERY OLD MAN WITHPROBLEMS AND I'M EXCITED FOR THEHELP.