1 year since Marshall Fire, Wayne's Smoke Shack set to reopen after tough climb to normalcy
On the day of the Marshall Fire, the worst day of Wayne Shellnut's life, he lost not only his Colorado home but his entire neighborhood and the business in Superior that he had built over 10 years ago.
"I could live 100 lifetimes and I still could remember that day," Wayne said, owner of Wayne's Smoke Shack.
The wildfire burned holes in the ceiling of the BBQ restaurant, which allowed melted snow to flood the business. That flood led to the HVAC system misfiring; it sucked in plumes of toxic smoke.
"We had so much damage the place was almost at a full loss as far as insurance. We had about a dozen holes in the roof where we had significant flooding the week after the fire," Shellnut said.
All of those problems from the fire were overwhelming for Shellnut as a business owner.
"We had smoke damage, fire damage and flood damage all at the same time."
It all came at a time that should have been a happy time for the family. Shellnut's wife Sam was 7 months pregnant.
"I was planning a home birth and lost my home," she said.
She also lost her nursery, while their 5-year-old daughter, Brooke, lost all her Christmas gifts.
The family was suddenly homeless, jobless and about to have a baby, but they weren't alone.
"So many mom groups and strangers and friends, people we hadn't known, collected things on our behalf. Cribs and strollers. I mean, boxes and boxes of clothes," Sam said.
River Rose was born happy and healthy and 2 months later the family settled into a rental home.
"For the first month, people delivered food to us every single day," Shellnut said.
While they started over on the business, the toughest part for Wayne was rebuilding a restaurant that had to be virtually gutted.
"The most stressful part of the entire thing -- including watching my house burn -- is dealing with insurance," Shellnut said.
Shellnut recently showed off the inside of his rebuilt restaurant.
"Every piece of plastic and wood in here had to be replaced. We replaced this butcher block here. We replaced all of our smokers."
Although the family faced an uphill climb to normalcy, the family never dwelled on the losses they faced.
"We have so much to be grateful for. We just feel the community rooting for us," Sam said.
A small community in Boulder County with a big heart stepped in to assist the family in need, which allowed them to focus on the important things ahead of them.
One year after the devastating fire, Wayne's Smoke Shack is ready to reopen on Jan. 6.
"I've never seen the level of generosity, love and community that this fire brought while it brought so much tragedy and heartache. We're all still grieving as a community. I truly believe this will bring us together and make us stronger and better than ever," Shellnut said.