04x08 - Fury & Fire

[bunniefuu]

It's the land of extremes.

The roof leaks,
there's black mold.

Crazy forest fires
everywhere around us.

You don't have
one drop of water.

This is where we're gonna die.

Marty: I'm thinking way out
of the box.

Fighting fire with fire.

Stand back!

That sky is smoking.

We've got a fire
within 5 miles of you guys.

This is not good.

Matt: this isn't gonna be
a homestead,

It's gonna be a hell-stead.

Marty: we're going to build
an immense defense system.

Quick!

Oh, my goodness.

The best thing we can do for
this family is keep them alive.

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Marty:
what's idaho known for?

-Matt and misty: potatoes.
-Good one!

You finally got
a state trivia thing correct.

This homestead is one
we can relate to.

It's the land of extremes
up here in northern idaho.


In the summer,


In the winter.

Misty: this homestead is known
for fire and ice.

See all this smoke?

That is definitely
a forest fire.

That looks real suspicious.

Narrator:
deep in northern idaho,

The raneys are responding
to a desperate call

From a homestead
fighting for survival.

Idaho boasts


But for eight months
of every year,

Sub-zero temperatures
leave

Every last drop of precious
wilderness water frozen solid.

After the spring melt, short but
blisteringly hot summers arrive

When the forests face risk
of deadly wildfires.




The threat of a similar fire
is all too real for the rinkers.

-This is all we have.
-This is it.

All of our money
is in this property.

What in the hell
have we gotten ourselves into?

Raneys, please come help us
before our mountain burns up

Or we freeze to death.

♪♪

Welcome to idaho.

Let's head down this path.

Hello! [ Whistles ]
-stuart: hey, guys.

You got visitors
from alaska.

Nice! Welcome to idaho.

How are you, bud?
-Thank you, marty raney.

-Hi, misty.
-Misty, stuart.

Is there a forest fire
happening right now?

'Cause it looks real smoky.
-Marty: it's smoky.

There's one just
not too far up the road.

How far away?

Probably two hours away
last time I checked.

Since we left nevada, this whole
thing has been a battle.

Come on, dude!

Narrator: stuart and toni rinker
met in 2000

Working for a trucking company
in reno, nevada.

Toni: good boy!

Stuart: 18 years together is
a feat nowadays, you know?

One of my favorite phrases
is "yes, dear."

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
after 2008's financial crash,

To make end's meet,
stuart increased his workload.

It was really bad. It was


Narrator: tired of
the daily grind in reno,

In the fall of 2017,

They sold all they had
and spent every last dime

On this $65,000 cabin
with 14 acres of forest.

We turn off the road
and we're like, "oh, my gosh.

This is gorgeous up here."

All the giant cedars...
We fell in love.

Narrator: but the rinkers
soon discovered

They had bought
a homestead nightmare.

When we first
walked in here,

I just had to call it
the scary cabin.

The foundation is questionable.

Stuart: we could definitely
see a collapse.

The roof leaks.
There's black mold.

It's dangerous to your health,
breathing it in.

Stuart: you can hear
rodents and stuff

Scurrying around on the floor.

It's not livable,

And we need to get out
as quick as possible.

The biggest challenge is keeping
the scary cabin warm.

Stuart: there's huge gaps
all the way around.

[ Wind whistling ]
just lets the cold air in.

Narrator: not only
do the rinkers live in

A freezing, unlivable cabin,

Their main water source is
over 20 miles away.

Stuart: there's all the water
we got.

The way we shower
and bathe is horrible.

Not having water
has been a huge challenge.

Trying to pour it on me
without getting water all over.

Do we want to do this
for the rest of our lives?

No, not really.

We did buy a shed,

And we're transforming that
into a tiny home.

And as soon as we get that done,
we can move.

But we're still so far away.

Our goal is by winter to be into
the new cabin so we can be warm.

Narrator: being warm
is one thing.

Burned alive is another.

Last year, we had crazy forest
fires everywhere around us.

You can see just how thick
and overgrown our forest is.

If there is a fire up here,
that's it.

We'd be gone.

This has been
a hard process for him

To kinda wrap his head around,

That people are gonna be up
here running around

And helping us out.

Stuart:
I'm not one to ask for help.

I have the personality that...

I can do it and I will do it.

Toni:
I know we need the help,

But stuart needs to
open his arms

And accept it
or we're gonna die.

♪♪

Marty: you don't want to spend
another winter like last winter.

-Toni: no.
-Absolutely not.

-Misty: where do you want to be?
-In the new cabin.

Marty: following you.
Let's go.

Narrator: stuart takes
marty and matt

To assess the new
but unfinished cabin.

Marty immediately spots
a dangerous problem.

Marty: it definitely
got jacked over.

Matt: that's leaning like a tree
about to fall down.

You can't travel
thousands of miles,

See a foundation that needs
repaired, and dismiss it.

You got to fix it.

This is nice. I like it.

Stuart:
that's bathroom, kitchen.

Matt: we definitely got to
get this thing

Properly insulated
and done right.

But the number one thing,

You know, for this cabin,
is forest fire danger.

I'm pretty worried about it.

Absolutely.
That was our next deal.

You're aware of it.

-Oh, I'm totally aware of it.
-Okay.

So you already know
the challenge that we are

Gonna have to protect it
from a forest fire.

Yeah.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: across the homestead,
toni takes misty

To the property's
only known natural water source.

This isn't even deep enough
to dip a bucket in.

I know.

The water situation's grim.

We haul it from town
once every week.

We have seven


And so you're getting 42 gallons
of water per trip?

Per trip.
That is a shockingly low amount.

Do you have livestock?
-No. We're waiting for water.

Not only do you not
have water,

But you're in the middle
of fire season without water.

Yeah, it's scary.

-That's scary!
-Yeah.

One of the most important
things, water,

Hasn't been sorted.

[ Sighs ] and it's
no small task to tackle.

♪♪

Narrator: the rinkers' land
and lives are in danger.

Just 11 miles east
of the homestead,

A lethal wildfire
continues to rage.

♪♪

Matt: look at how dry this is.
Listen.

[ Leaves crunching ]

What is the number one thing
fire needs?

It needs fuel.
-Right.

And right now, you're guys'
homestead is surrounded by fuel.

There's a path leading up
to your doorway

Like a line of black powder
that someone could just light,

And your whole place
will go up in flames.

Being up here is very,
very scary.

I mean, because we only have
one way off the mountain.

Yeah.

So if that way gets blocked,
there's no getting off.

I know toni is afraid
of forest fires,

But I don't know if she knows
how dangerous it is

To be surrounded by birch trees.

Extremely flammable.

[ Flame crackling ]

You hear it crackling?

That's the sap.

And this thing's going up.

I mean, that's basically
her homestead -- poof, gone.

♪♪

Narrator: with a wildfire
on the horizon,

A freezing cabin
ready to ignite,

A desperate lack of water,

And a new cabin
unfit to move into,

The raneys face a homestead
struggling to survive.

If that forest fire hits
right here,

This isn't gonna be
a homestead,

It's gonna be a hell-stead.

Misty: you live at the top
of this mountain,

At peak fire season,
with no water.

How far along is the new cabin?

It's got a foundation issue
we have to address.

And that guy is competent.

He can pick up
where we leave off.

♪♪

Narrator:
matt must urgently create

A 100-foot wide fire break

By felling over 200 trees
and removing all dry brush.

Eliminating all flammable fuel
from the homestead's perimeter

Will prevent a fire breach.

Misty will need to find
an alternative water source

To provide the homestead
with enough water

For a garden,
livestock, and sanitation.

Marty plans to save
and strengthen

The rinkers'
tilting cabin foundations,

Insulate its walls,
and using milled lumber

From the homestead's
felled cedar trees,

Fireproof the exterior
with cladding.

♪♪

Okay, guys.

Here we are.

We're thinking the best way
we can help both of you

Is getting this cabin ready
for winter.

-[ Whispers ] yes!
-Stuart: I'm stoked,

'Cause that's what this
is all about.

One of the biggest issues
is water.

I'm trying to figure out
the long-term solution

That really, really is
gonna work for you.

Matt: we're gonna have to
try and outsmart

One of the most deadliest foes

That you guys have --
the forest fire.

Yeah, absolutely.

It's gonna get crazy,
trust me.

Trust me on that.
Let's go.

-I'm up early.
-Yeah, okay.

Narrator: coming up --
marty's skills impress...

Stuart: you are
the homestead hack guru.

I like thinking outside
of the blocks.

...and the fire danger ratchets
up a notch.

Matt: this is a simulated
ember attack.

Oh, my goodness.

♪♪

Narrator:
on a smoky idaho mountain,

The raney family
have just seven days

To save a homestead threatened
by an approaching forest fire...

...now only 9 miles away.

If that forest fire hits
right here,

This isn't gonna be
a homestead,

It's gonna be a hell-stead.

Narrator: for the homestead
to survive,

The raneys must clear-cut


And birch trees.

All right, we're gonna start
about a 100-foot swath

Of tree removal,
for obvious reasons.

That sky is smoky.

♪♪

Marty: [ whistles ]
first one's coming right now!

Are you guys still using
that outhouse?

Stuart: I use it
almost every day.

Too much information.

[ Laughs ]

Marty: move it! Stand back!

♪♪

Outhouse!
-[ Stuart laughs ]

Thanks for saving
my crapper, marty!

Narrator: the clear-cut won't
only protect the homestead,

But it will also provide
vast supplies of birch firewood

And cedar lumber for
construction.

These are cedar trees.
They're very valuable.

It'll be a miracle if we don't
use 'em on the cabin

Or somewhere on this property.

Narrator: the most effective
defensible spaces

Against wildfires have every
single flammable tree cut down.

Matt: is this
big tree coming down?

No, this is staying.

This big tall one,
that's a cedar.

And those trees
are actually

Part of why
we bought the property.

Okay, you want to keep
these cedar trees?

-Right.
-All right.

♪♪

Let me get my safety glasses on.

♪♪

Matt: what do you think
of the progress so far?

Badass.

♪♪

Narrator: to survive,
the homestead also needs

A vital water source,

So misty searches all 14 acres
for a natural spring.

Misty:
there is not a drop of moisture.

This is dry as dry could be.

There is some water.

This is runoff from snow.

I do not think this is enough
water to sustain this homestead.

I have to come up
with another plan.

Okay, I have some questions
for you.

Narrator: misty makes
a desperate call

To a local well digger.

Man: I know that area
really well,

And as far as getting
a well rig in there

To drill a well for you,
there's no way with those roads.

Okay. Thanks, josh.

Right now, we don't have
that spring,

We're not drilling a well,
and the pressure is on.

But I have an idea.

♪♪

Narrator: the deadly forest fire
has crept another mile closer.

So matt pulls in some
yellow iron to speed up

His life-saving fire break.

♪♪

♪♪

That was awesome.

Okay,
matt has a big head start

On clearing the trees out
for his fire break.

I've got to pull away, though,
and leave that to him

While I go get stuart,
and we look at this cabin.

Okay, buddy.

Here we are, back to
this foundation post again.

And I clearly can see
that it's out.

Yeah.

Narrator: the spring thaw has
expanded the once-frozen water

At the base of the post,
heaving it out of position.

Marty must fix it quickly
so they can concentrate

On fire-proofing the cabin.

Okay, we're gonna be
working under this.

If it fails,
it could be a bad day.

Yeah look at that.
She's moving now.

It's clay, buddy, full-on.

This is the enemy.

It likes to catch the water,
trap the water, freeze,

And then expand and push things
up like concrete block

And post.

Narrator: marty's plan --
jack up the cabin

And remove
the tilting foundation post.

Then lay a gravel base and reset
the original breeze blocks,

Binding them with cement.

For extra strength,

Marty will pour concrete

And set rebar
into the internal cavities.

Finally, he'll bury
two layers of styrofoam,

Insulating the post from frost.

♪♪

Let's drop a block
in there.

All right, so on that note,

I'm gonna lay that block
with mortar. [ Grunts ]

♪♪

[ Groans ]

Okay, here we go, buddy.
You know what to do.

Can the rebar help
hold it in?

I don't see why not.

It might go down the edge.
There you go.

That's money right there.
That'll hold that right there.

Some good
homestead hacks here.

Stuart: like it was
meant to be.

I'll tell you right now,
I've never done that before.

You are
the homestead hack guru.

I like thinking
outside of the blocks.

♪♪

Narrator: wildfire smoke
drifts in from the inferno,

Reported just 7 miles away --
a huge risk.

Now the wind
has changed direction.

Matt: okay, hold on,
hold on, hold on.

See that wind blow?

The thing about forest fires is,

Is, you know,
they get taken by the wind.

So the thing that
I'm most worried about

Is an ember attack.

It's a million embers being shot

Straight onto your property
and straight at your home.

And it will burn your house
down just as fast,

If not faster,
than actual flames.

Narrator: with conditions
perfect for an ember attack,

Matt urgently calls
everyone together.

What we're watching here
is a simulated ember attack.

♪♪

Wow.

Oh, no.

-Stuart: that's pretty crazy.
-Crazy.

Misty: oh, no.

Oh, my goodness.

The most dangerous part
of your house right now

Is the fact
that it's up off the ground

And all those embers are going
to come up from underneath.

And what's underneath there?

-Toni: insulation.
-Extremely flammable.

That video was terrifying,
absolutely terrifying.

And it's real smoky.

So the best thing we can do
for this family is,

You know,
keep them alive, right?

♪♪

Narrator: coming up --
the cabin's new foundation post

Gets a winter jacket...

That is an immense
defense system against frost.

Perfect.

...and misty's water solution
hits trouble.

It's temporary 'cause
it's not what we want --

-Misty: okay.
-It's not what I want.

♪♪

Narrator: in the hills
of northern idaho,

A forest fire burns only


The raneys
are attempting to save.

Their major concern --
the cabin is at an imminent risk

From a deadly ember attack.

The most dangerous part
of your house right now

Is the fact
that it's up off the ground

And all those embers are going
to come up from underneath.

What I'm taking away from this
is we need to skirt that cabin,

Or we might have done
all that work for nothing.

-Right.
-Yeah.

Yeah, I never would have
thought of that.

I think that's a great idea.

Narrator: using
old aluminum roofing sheets

Found on the property,

Marty will skirt the base
of the new cabin in metal,

Creating a shield to protect
the vulnerable crawl space

From ember storms.

Marty's protection plan
for the cabin

And putting the skirting up is
a huge -- a huge thing.

I really am 100% for it,
and I'm gonna feel safer.

Narrator: but nothing can
be done to the cabin

Until it rests
back on its foundations.

For that, marty must finish
protecting the new post

From its own number one enemy --
frost.

All right, this insulation
is kryptonite to frost.

One inch of foam buys you

One foot of dirt,

As in frost prevention.

Okay.

So we're gonna put
two layers down.

That buys you...
-Two feet.

That is an immense
defense system against frost.

But when it gets to here
it's gonna go...

"[ Grunts ] let me in!
Let me in!"

And the insulation's
gonna go...

-"No way, man."
-"You ain't coming in."

-Perfect.
-That's solid.

I say
we let the house down.

[ Creaking ]

A few creaks, a few groans.

And she says, "I'm home."

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning,
marty and matt

Are back clearing the homestead
perimeter of flammable birch.

Matt: we need to clear all these
birch trees around this house,

Or this place
is going up in flames.

♪♪

Narrator: the average american

Uses 700 gallons of water
every week.

The rinkers ration
just 42 between them.

Misty has a plan
to fix the problem.

There's nothing wrong
with hauling water.

It's just the way they're
doing it now isn't sustainable.

Difference is gonna be
is its gonna be super-sized.

You have these
on your homestead.

Throw these barrels up here.

So that's just two.

Looks like you could
even fit five.

Tie them all together,
create one huge tank.

-Okay.
-What do you think?

I love it. I'm excited.

Narrator: misty's plan --

Insulate and mold-proof
the cabin's loft space.

Then up-cycle four


From the rinkers' yard,

Joining them together to make
one massive storage tank.

Another 200-gallon portable tank
fixed to their pickup

Will allow the rinkers to travel
to and from a local standpipe,

Gravity feeding the water
directly into the cabin.

Increasing the homestead's
water haulage

And storage capacity
five-times over.

Between you and me,
it's temporary,

'Cause it's not what
we want.

-Okay.
-It's not what I want.

What do you want?

Ultimately, all of our water
will come from spring melt.

Spring runoff
is six to eight weeks.

We're figuring
about 10,000 gallons.

How are you going to store


The goal is to have
one tank buried.

I'm here right now.

I've missed the snow melt.
-The spring. Mm-hmm.

You don't have
one drop of water.

So I'm gonna let you speak
as a family,

And then
we can regroup later.

Okay.

Stuart: I'm totally
a big dreamer,

And I've always been that way,
you know?

If I hadn't have been
a bit dreamer,

We probably wouldn't
be here right now.

♪♪

[ Bird calls ]

♪♪

Um... [ Chuckles ] I have, like,
a major situation.

Uh-huh.
What would that be?

It's painful when I pitch
an idea to someone and they say,

"I guess,
but that's temporary."

He wants to capture snow melt
once a year.

Snow melt, it's picked up
a lot of, uh...

Ground contamination.

...animal waste.

It's not
clean drinking water.

Yeah, sometimes a lady
is more amenable

To hygiene and clean
and fresh water.

She is excited.

She wanted the water storage
in the loft --

The fresh water from town?
-Yeah.

But now they're discussing
where you left off.

Yeah.

♪♪

♪♪

Do you think that it helps
or hurts the homestead

If you're hell-bent on
doing everything by yourself?

No, it definitely hurts.

-Yeah.
-It does.

Are you afraid to
get help out here?

Yeah.
You're in a new area,

And you don't know people,
and I'm such an introvert.

But I need to step out
on the ledge sometimes.

Yeah. [ Exhales deeply ]
well, I get it.

Should we chop some trees down?
[ Laughs ]

♪♪

Stuart: I've always wanted
to live by my rules,

And it just kind of
makes it hard.

But I'm coming around.

Slowly but surely,
I'm coming around.

Narrator: stuart heads back
to misty and toni.

-Misty: so you guys talked?
-Stuart: yeah.

I appreciate you guys coming
out here and helping.

You have no idea
how much I appreciate it.

So can we proceed
with this plan,

And can you never say the word
"temporary" to me ever again?

I think we can move forward.

Okay, good.
That's great.

It would be a huge step up.

We got to get to work.
You think -- are we good?

-I'm good, are you good?
-I'm great.

-Sweet!
[ Laughter ]

This homestead is going
to have water by the time

I pull out of here,
and I know --

In toni's mind,
I know that's good news.

Narrator: coming up --

Marty fireproofs
the cabin's cladding...

Marty:
fighting fire with fire.

And trust me, it is much,
much harder

To set aflame.

...and surrounded by fire,
stuart pushes back.

Stuart: the cedars
are gonna stay.

I'm in full disagreement
with you on that.

I'll just say that.
-You can be.

I don't care.
-Okay. Well, I am.

♪♪

Narrator: in north idaho,
the raneys have two days

To save the homestead
with an unlivable cabin

And positioned right in the path

Of a fast-approaching
deadly forest fire.

There's one just
not too far up the road.

How far away?

-Probably two hours away...
-Wow!

Narrator: so far, 180 trees
have been cleared

For a life-saving fire break.

♪♪

And now misty arrives with
a huge 200-gallon portable tank

Full of fresh, clean water --

A month's supply on tap.

I'll hook up the end
in the house,

And when I say "go"
turn the switch on.

-Toni: got it.
-Okay.

Go ahead
and flip your switch!

Tell me when it's on!

Toni: it's on!

Come on down!

All right, okay.

Misty: I mean, this is
the moment of truth.

There you go.

Okay, so it's on.

[ Water rushing ]

They're filling.

Awesome!

[ Both laugh ]

Narrator: for the last year,
the rinkers endured

A desperate water shortage --
sharing just 42 gallons a week.

Now they can haul and store
five times that amount

In their integrated
water storage barrels,

Gravity-fed
from a 200-gallon tank,

All for just 150 bucks.

I am way excited. Guess what?

I can shower now
when I want to shower.

Yeah.

♪♪

Narrator:
with just two days left

To fireproof the rinkers' cabin,

Marty notices
a burnt cedar stump.

Marty: this is pretty amazing.

That tree was burned
in the 1910 fire

That stormed through here.

And you can see that
this burnt layer has indeed

Protected
this majority of the tree.

This old burned cedar snap
is giving me an idea.

It's way out of the box.

♪♪

Narrator: attempting to
save the cabin

From burning to a crisp,

Marty uses milled cedar planks

Harvested from
the homestead's clear-cut

To fight fire with fire.

[ Whoosh ]

Okay, so with this torch
we will burn

The cellulose part,

The easy-to-burn part
of the tree.

♪♪

Under this char that we're about
to remove with a wire brush,

There is lignin.

And the lignin, trust me,

Is much, much harder
to set aflame.

Highlight the grain
as much as I can,

And that's quite stunning.

Could you imagine the entire
cabin clad

In the beautiful board
like that?

And this particular siding,
after this process,

Will protect that house
from the next forest fire.

♪♪

Narrator:
in the nearby valley,

Firefighters try to contain
the approaching wildfire.

Matt still has 20 tree to fell

Before the homestead is
protected from the lethal blaze

When the fire department
unexpectedly arrives.

Eric:
it's not real great news.

The fire, it's within


Marty: and the wind's blowing
this way.

It's pushing it your way,
absolutely.

It's just a tinderbox
waiting to happen.

Let's say the fire truck
couldn't get here.

What's the procedure?
-You're on your own.

You are on your own.

This is a great
defensible space.

You're just not quite there yet
on the backside.

And principally, we're talking
about these cedars right here.

Mm-hmm.

When the fire gets to those,
they become expl*sive.

I want to listen to him.

He knows what
he's talking about.

But ultimately,
it's up to you.

The cabin was put there
specifically

Because those trees
were there -- specifically.

You're gonna leave 'em?

Yeah.

Well, I'm in full disagreement
with you on that.

I'll just say it.
-You can be.

I don't care.
-Okay. Well, I am.

Matt: thanks a lot, man.

Eric: yeah, we just want you
to be safe up here.

Matt: this is crazy.

This is not -- we had no idea
this was gonna happen.

Stuart:
I got extremely angered,

And I don't like
getting that way

Because I don't know how
to really control it.

But I love those trees.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys take
captain clayton's advice,

Immediately clearing trees
from the back of the property.

But they leave the three
expl*sive cedars standing,

Felling the surrounding birch
instead.

Hey!

We got a couple minutes?

Yeah, what's up?
What's happening?

So I understand
about fire safety, okay?

And cedar trees are

A medium-risk
fire hazard, okay?

I disagree with that.

Well, you can disagree
all you want.

-I'm a logger.
-And I'm gonna be honest,

You guys came in here
with this much trust.

I don't know you from adam.

Her and goose are all that
I trust right now.

-Her and your dog.
[ Goose whines ]

But all of these trees are
pushed up against your house.

I know, but did you just
hear what I said?

I'm not
gonna clear-cut it.

-[ Whispers ] hey, okay, shh.
-We're not saying

Clear-cut your property.

This is literally
about your safety.

Okay, I understand that.

But until I see the fire

Cresting the ridge
and coming halfway down...

-Misty: but that's so crazy.
-...i'm not gonna get concerned.

But can I just interrupt
for one second?

-I can't be concerned.
-Stuart.

I need to
get my thoughts out.

If I can't get my thoughts out,
I'll just call it quits.

If you're not gonna let me
talk and speak my mind,

I'll just say,
"fine, I'm walking away."

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
the raneys arrived in idaho

To find homesteading
couple toni and stuart rinker

Desperate to escape
their old cabin.

It's not livable
and we need to get out.

Narrator: but now
their new cabin is threatened

By an approaching wildfire,

And stuart's prized cedar trees
pose an added risk.

When the fire gets to those,
they become expl*sive.

Narrator: despite the danger,

Stuart wants to
leave the trees standing.

Stuart: did you
just hear what I said?

I'm not
gonna clear-cut it.

-[ Whispers ] hey, okay, shh.
-Misty: we're not saying...

Rinker, come here, honey.
Come here, babe.

-Marty: come back, please.
-Misty: toni.

Matt: hold on.
There is an alternative.

The branches are
the most dangerous part.

Cutting off a bunch of 'em,
it'll be a lot less expl*sive.

Marty: what do you guys think?

I'm fine
with thinning stuff.

Marty: well, that's good.

Come here, sweetie.

She's been working on me
for 18 years

About how I come across
to people.

I only way to do it,
and that's horns first.

You have no idea how happy
we are

And how grateful we are
for what you guys have done.

I never expected this much.
-Stuart: absolutely.

-Listen, we're not done yet.
-Toni: I know. [ Laughs ]

Today was
an emotional roller coaster

On this homestead.

But we have peace
at the end of the day.

♪♪

Narrator: it's the final day.

As the forest inferno still
rages close by,

The race is on to fireproof
the entire homestead.

Matt: if we can't cut
these trees down,

The next best thing is prune
some of these branches

About 15 feet off the ground.

Narrator: while matt trims
the flammable cedars,

The new cabin's interior
is insulated against winter.

Misty:
any space is bad space.

Toni: got it.

Narrator: protecting the cabin
from the unpredictable fire

Is the raneys'
final live-saving fix.

Marty: right down there
is a forest fire,

So fighting fire with fire.

Did you ever think you'd be

Wrapping this house
in burnt cedar?

Never in the wildest dream.
[ Laughs ]

All right, buddy.
Down to the last two boards.

What do you think?

It's amazing.
I think it looks gorgeous.

Just when you think
that the cabin's finished,

We're not done.

The final fire prevention

That we're gonna put
on that cabin --

The metal skirting,
keeping an ember shower

From getting under the building.

Get me another piece
of metal quick!

Plumb that, please.
-Misty: 33-inch piece!

How about you don't drag
the sharp metal

Across my crotch?

If you want another brother
or sister,

Be more careful
with this sharp metal.

-You're, like, 60!
-[ Laughing ]

That's gross.
It's getting gross.

♪♪

That was morse code for
"get me another sheet, quick."

All right, guys.
There you have it.

That's a fire preventative cabin
right there.

You can't do
anything else to it.

Narrator:
when the raneys arrived,

The rinkers lived in a freezing,
uninhabitable cabin,

Defenseless against wildfires.

Now they have
a new insulated cabin

With frost-protected
foundation posts.

And most importantly, fireproof
cladding, metal skirting,

And a 100-foot wide fire break
created from


All around the perimeter.

Thankfully,
the winds changed course,

Diverting the inferno away
from the homestead.

Meaning the raneys can leave
knowing the rinkers are safe.

You said you didn't
trust anybody

But your wife and your dog.

♪♪

You know,
I will tell you now,

I trust and respect
all three of you.

That means a lot.

I'm sure we'll remember you guys
for a long time.

I hope so.

Stuart: I've been forced
to accept help.

And it'll probably be
a continued struggle

For the rest of my life.

But having toni ask for help,

And me be willing to step out
on the edge

And accept it,
that's made me grow.

Toni: watching stuart step out
of his comfort zone...

So proud of him for that.

I'm welling up.

-Oh, baby.
-[ Laughs ]

It's okay, sweetness.

It's good.
It's good, happy tears.

♪♪

Narrator: thanks to the raneys,

The rinkers moved into their
new cabin before winter arrived.

So this is the first time
cooking in the new cabin.

It's pretty exciting.

Love it!

Narrator: there hasn't been
another wildfire yet...

Come on, goose!

...but it is protected
against the next.

Toni: and we're safer.
And we have water.

Stuart:
we have the four barrels,

But it's working out well.

For me, this clearing that
they did is the biggest thing.

This, we plan on using
for a garden

And then chicken coop and goats,
and we can't forget goose.

Toni: it would have taken him


Thank you so much for coming
and rescuing us from failing.

Okay, guys. See ya.

♪♪