Jim Vaughn spent much of his time off from a 25-year firefighting career building a cabin near Bonanza, only to lose it during a wildfire.
The 64-year-old retiree started building the home - nicknamed the "hobby house" - in 1983 and it was almost complete when the Golden Fire ripped through his community and destroyed the home last month.
“I sat in my car, and watched my best friend’s cabin burn to the ground," neighbor Robert Howard told Fox26Medford.
Vaughan spent 25 years working as a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Southern Oregon .
His daughter, Jessie, told the TV station that Vaughn was helping firefighters evacuate homes in the area when his home ignited.
“He was one of the first to help on scene,” she said. “Despite the fact that he’s retired he still likes to come out and help everyone else and let everyone know ‘hey there’s a fire, be careful.'”
"Everything he’s done, he’s done by hand and he cares for the trees," Jessie said. "He knows every single one of his trees and every single spot on his property he loves.”
A GoFundMe was established to help the family recover.
