06x09 - Burned Out

[bunniefuu]

Marty: every square inch burnt.
Every tree scorched.

Every structure gone.

Where was your house?

Right here. You're parked
in our living room.

Matt: no one's been here
for almost a year.

Animals move in.

We have no idea
who the neighbors are.

Misty: these wells
are burnt to a crisp.

There is no homestead
unless we have water.

Come on out.

This is the opposite
of everything homesteading.

Very much so.

Alright.

Seven days from now,

We're going to breathe life
back into this dream.

This is basically
fireproof.

That's great.

Core gardening is ideal.

So, you're creating an
underground irrigation system.

This could be
a mountain lion track

Literally within
the last 24 hours.

Riley: yeah.

Marty: we're going to help
these homesteaders

Rise from the ashes, literally.

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

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Welcome to paradise.

Look at all these
empty lots.

♪♪

Everywhere you look, both sides
of the road is the aftermath.

You can see where the fire raged
through here. Look at this.

A lot of structures burned.
There isn't even a town anymore.

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys
are in northern california

Traveling through the charred
landscape of paradise.

Located 90 miles north
of sacramento,

This sleepy region
in the sierra nevada foothills

Still reels
from the existential threat

That mother nature
unleashed in the fall of 2018,

An apocalyptic natural disaster
known as the camp fire.

I'm jessie olson,

And this is
my husband, craig.

The fire came, and I could
see it coming up on all sides.

Craig: we had to let
all the animals loose.

We just had
to get ourselves out.

Everything was wiped out
in an instant.

Please help us bring this dream
back to life again.

Marty:
it's pretty clear to me

That they're very fortunate
to be alive.

And that does not look
like a homestead.

-Hey, guys.
-Hey. How's it going?

Hi.

-Marty raney.
-Craig.

-Craig?
-Misty.

-Craig.
-Nice to meet you.

I'm matt.

Marty:
well, it was pretty sobering

Driving through paradise.

We've been driving
for an hour,

And every single thing
is burnt to the ground.

Yeah.

Where was your house?

Right here. You're parked
in our living room.

-There's nothing left.
-No.

It went from a two-story house
to a 2-foot ash pile.

♪♪

I've been homesteading
off and on most of my life.

Some of my best memories
were from that time.

As I grew up, that's all
I wanted to return to.

Jessie: when I turned 18,
I joined the army,

And I ended up
in military intelligence.

I loved it
until I had my accident.

I was in a vehicle.

The driver fell asleep
at the wheel,

Crashed into another vehicle,

And they told me
I was never going to walk again.

And that changed everything.

Narrator:
after the accident, jessie
was discharged from the army

As a disabled veteran.

And although saddled
with a lifelong injury,

She returned to her
homesteading roots

After meeting her husband,
craig wilcox.

I told him about my dream,

And he wasn't quite
so sure at first.

The moment we saw the house
and the land,

We knew that
that was the property for us.

From computer engineer to...

Homesteading engineer.

As long as
we have internet,

I'll follow her
wherever she goes.

We were doing really well
with the homestead.

Everything was going
very smoothly.

We had probably three years
worth of food stocked up

Just from this land.

We barely had to do
any grocery shopping.

We actually were starting
to make a profit

On the homesteading lifestyle.

It was very sustainable.

There's riley.
Say hi, riley.

Hi.
Here's liam.

Hi.

We finalized our adoption
with them in 2016.

There's nothing quite like
a boy and his goat.

Liam: my favorite thing
about living on the homestead

Is playing with the goats.

Who's a good goat?

And then
it was just gone.

Riley went out
to feed the goats.

And we came back in
shouting, "fire, fire."

When I came out the door,
it was surrounding the house.

Riley: like, I couldn't run
to keep up with the fire.

It was just like, "phew."

It was just so fast.

We had to drive through
a 20-foot wall of flames

To get out,
because it was all around.

Craig: this used to be
our neighbor's house.

It is no more.

It was like being
in a w*r zone,

But it was scarier because
I've got my kids in the back,

And they don't have
any training for this.

Fireman: turn yourself around.
You're going that way.

Okay. Oh, good.
There's jess.

♪♪

Narrator:
the camp fire of 2018

Raged for nearly 2 1/2 weeks.


Were destroyed.



Thousands more
were left homeless.

Jessie:
there's the house.

Narrator: miraculously,
the homestead's population

Of nearly 200 animals

Sustained only minimal losses.

The goats saved almost all
the animals on our homestead

By clearing off
about 5 acres

And then allowing
the other animals

To run
to that cleared area.

The fire has pretty much
wiped us out financially

At this point.
And it's really hard

Because we're paying
on a mortgage

On a house that
doesn't exist anymore,

And we're paying a mortgage
on a rental property

That we're living in.

It was devastating.

I wondered if I had it in me
to rebuild.

Right after the fire,
I was certain I was going to.

But now walking through it,
feels like too much.

♪♪

We had paradise here.

Craig: so, after the fire,
we purchased an r.v.

And now we'll be moving
into that r.v. Full-time

While we wait for the insurance
to rebuild our house.

But nothing else
was insured.

None of the animal structures
or other things were insured.

So where are
the animals?

They're in three
different farms,

As well as some
that are in our house.

-My gosh.
-Animals are in the house?

-Yes.
-Yes.

That's something that I want
to see. Is that possible?

Yeah.
Let's go.

And you want to just
show me around, or --

Sure. Yeah.

The homestead
or what's left of it.

Marty:
this is a very unique thing
happening on "homestead rescue."

We rolled onto this homestead

And found nothing.

♪♪

Misty:
all I've seen so far is this.

Is this all that's left?
That's it.

Okay. So you have
a tank and a well.

Jessie:
yep. We don't know

If the wells have been
contaminated from the runoff.

Do you have any good news?
We're alive.

Yeah.

And if we had stayed


We would have burned up
with our house.

What did the boys say
when they saw the house?

This was supposed to be
their forever home.

They didn't even know
how to pretend

When they moved in with us.

One day, you're gonna be
a famous rapper

And a president maybe.
Jessie: maybe.

Jessie: this was supposed
to be the one home

That they could always come home
to and always feel safe.

Then it was gone.

Matt: this is, like, prime
wildlife country.

Narrator:
matt gets a tour of the property

From jessie and craig's kids,
liam and riley.

So, you saw the fire?
Yes.

But then how
did you guys get out?

-It was terrible.
-It was coming pretty much

From all directions
and then about --

It was, like,
going like that.

And my mom threw me
the keys, right?

Wow.
I've never started a car before.

So I actually
started up the car.

Oh, my goodness.

And I was like, "whoa.
That's how you do it."

When the fire happened,

I have a feeling that
a lot of animals probably died

And ran away.

We took the understanding

That, you know,
the bears are our neighbors.

That's kind of like
how I grew up.

I kind of took it for granted
that we had bears

And predatory animals.

Matt: walking around
with riley and liam,

They're not just
greenhorns out here

That don't know anything.

They know what's out
to get them.

Yeah, watch for snakes.
Wait, what kind of snakes?

Rattles.
We actually saw a rattlesnake

Slither from that rock
into there and out there.

Do you know
that the littler ones

Are actually more dangerous?
Are more dangerous, yes,

Because they can't control
the poison.

No one's been here for almost
a year, and that's a long time.

Animals move in, and honestly,

We have no idea
who the neighbors are.

The first step of reintroducing
a human presence

Is to set up trail cams
so we can see firsthand

Which dangerous critters
we're dealing with

Before the family moves back
on their land.

Narrator:


Marty surveys craig and jessie's
temporary living situation,

A small two-bedroom house

Where nearly 50 of their
displaced animals reside.

Wow.
Yep.

Front room.

Is that a turkey?

Yes.
And chickens in the bedroom,

Chickens in the living room,
chickens in the family room.

♪♪

Come on out.

Marty: busy backyard.

Chickens here.
Here, there.

Here.
There, there.

Oh, there's some ducks.
One single one.

A group of ducks.

Then we have two more coops
over here with chickens in them.

And then we have the turkeys
inside of that pen.

Well, I'm going to be
real honest with you.

If I was a chicken, a duck,
or a turkey...

Mm-hmm.

...i'd really want to break out
of these little prisons.

I'm sure you would.

We really need to get them
brought back up

Onto the property

So that we can get back
into the homesteading life.

Before the fire,
our homestead was thriving.

We were selling animals.

We were raising animals.
Now after the fire,

We're starting up
a goat landscaping business.

This is extremely confining
to both us and our family,

The chickens.

This is an eye-opener.
It's a motivator.

And I need to get back on
that mountain and get to work.

I need to help you.
Okay. Let's go.

There's gonna be a jailbreak
here real soon.

Marty: it's a huge financial
burden on this family

To rent a second home in town.

So the goal is
to get these homesteaders

Back on their homestead,

Reunited with their


That would be
the absolute best scenario.

[ Turkeys, chickens clucking ]

♪♪

Misty: [ sighs ]
do you have any good news?

There is no good news
on this homestead.

They lost every single thing
that they owned,

Everything. Flat broke.

And they're fortunate
that they're even alive.

Yeah.
There's two homesteaders

On this very road
that didn't make it.

There isn't
one single thing here.

So that said,
there's going to be a garden.

There's going to be structures
here to house these animals.

So, fencing, a garden space,

Water --
obviously a big one.

Matt:
everything that we do here

Has got to be built
with predators in mind.

Seven days from now,

We're gonna breathe the life
back into this dream.

Thomas wolfe said,
"you can't go back home,"

But he wasn't talking to us.

Narrator:
marty will focus on getting
the animals back on the property

By building a massive steel
and stone enclosure

Serving as a fireproof and
predator-proof animal compound.

Misty will work to get
the lifeblood of the homestead

Flowing again by repairing
the water well system

And establishing
a new garden space.

Matt will work to reestablish
human boundaries

On the homestead and clear the
property of dangerous predators.

Alright, so, after
putting our heads together

And kind of being speechless
and a bit in shock

Of what we're looking at
or what we're not looking at...

Yeah.
...we're thinking that --

Get the animals back.
Get a barn back.

Just bring the life back,
you know?

Set up the garden space.

And you'll be surprised at how
much we can do in seven days.

Yep. We'll see you
in the morning.

Okay.
Alright.

This was a thriving homestead.

We're trying to rebuild it.

We've got seven days
before they lose the dream

That once thrived
on this property.

Narrator: one year ago,
a cataclysmic wildfire

Raged through this
northern california homestead,

Devastating everything
in its path.

It went from a two-story house
to a 2-foot ash pile.

Narrator: now the raneys
are using their knowledge

Of surviving
natural disasters in alaska

To rebuild the family's
shattered dream from the ashes.

Thomas wolfe said,
"you can't go back home,"

But he wasn't talking to us.

♪♪

Marty breaks ground
on a new animal compound

For the homestead.

When I show up at a homestead,

I'm looking
for building materials.

This homestead
has rock outcroppings.

These people might end up
with something epic

And fireproof.

Narrator: in order to bring the
homestead's displaced animals

Back to the property,

Marty will build an expansive
new animal compound

To out of solid granite rock
and steel.

The rock will form the outer
walls of the compound,

While two steel
shipping containers

Will serve as fireproof,
predator-proof barns

For the animals.

♪♪

Alright.

So, when you look
at this steel container,

You should see two things.
One, it's a quick, fast barn.

Secondly...
[ Metal clangs ]

...they're going to be
really hard to burn down, okay?

And I know some ducks, chickens,
and turkeys that are cooped up.

The idea is to just
chain them up

And drag them,
full-on cowboy all the way.

Craig: marty told us
that he wants to do something

With shipping crates.

With all of our animals spread
out on three different farms

As well as the animals
living in our home,

Even if we moved up here,
it's still not quite home

Until the rest of our family,

Our animals,
our livestock comes back.

It's a huge step
just to get anything started.

♪♪

Up here in
the sierra nevada mountains,

A fire raged through here

And burnt everything
in its path, everything.

How could you possibly rebuild?

These shipping containers
can cost between $2,000

And $3,000 apiece.

Fortunately, we found
someone to donate them.

♪♪

Narrator:
across the homestead...

Jessie: we're hoping to put
the garden in here.

Okay. I'm a big fan of having
the garden out your front door.

Mm-hmm.
Okay?

But obviously, we have
to talk about water.

Narrator:
...misty focuses on the
property's dire water situation.

First thing's first is
checking both of these wells,

Testing the water,
and then go from there.

Because if
this is a problem,

You know, this is --
that's huge,

Because I don't see
one plant being planted,

I don't see one animal coming
here until there's water.

Something tells me I don't
want to be bushwhacking here.

[ Chuckles ]

Oh, no.
It's burnt.

Oh, that's going to have
to be replaced.

Oh, no!

Right there,
yep, for sure.

Everything is melted.
Look at all these elbows.

Look at the meter
and then the box.

This guy's done.

Oh, no.

There's so many unknowns
right now,

And there's no homestead
unless we have water.

So bringing the animals here,
bringing the people here,

Bringing the garden here
won't happen.

So, there's a second well
just right over here?

Right over here.
Okay.

Oh, no.
That doesn't look good.

Oh, man.
And it got burned, too.

That is toast.
That could be a problem.

[ Sighs ]
so, this is really bad.

Really bad.

These wells are burnt
to a crisp,

And we have to try
and piece one together

And then test it, because
jess is under the impression

It's probably been contaminated.

Let's make a list
of exactly what you need.

We'll hook everything up,
and then we'll test your water.

Okay.

♪♪

Narrator:
at the top of the homestead...

Listen. You hear this?
Yeah. Yeah.

This is an answer

To one of our big
question marks here.

Building materials.
Alright?

These are homesteaders

That just barely survived
the redding fire.

All the way!

Alright!

About a year ago,
we helped the mckinley family

Near redding, which had
that massive fire,

The carr fire, rage through
that part of california.

We removed a tremendous
amount of trees

To protect that home.

We stacked those logs up,
and the logs are available.

That's a tremendous resource.

-Yay!
-Oh, my gosh.

Do you guys know each other?

Jessie and craig
supplied us with animals

When we started our homestead.

Lacey: she helped me
in so many ways.

This is the least I can do,
the least we can do.

So, this is a good start.

We have another truck coming.
Another truck?

Yeah.
Okay. Perfect.

We will mill it,
and we will use it.

-Yep.
-Every board.

-Thank you.
-Great.

We've saved a lot of time having
the mckinleys show up here

With all of these logs.

They've already been cut
and, more importantly,

Sat for over a year
in a dry climate.

Less moisture in the wood
makes better lumber.

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning...

Is this a raccoon?
That looks like a turkey.

Narrator:
...matt, liam, and riley

Scour the property
in search of predator tracks.

It just rained,
so this is actually a good time

To see tracks.

Our entire goal is to bring
all the animals back.

But guess what?
This place is probably more wild

Now than it's ever been.

When humans leave,
wildlife moves right back in,

And the apex predators
reestablish themselves

At the top of the food chain.

What is this?

See this right here?
This could be mountain lion.

So, there's three dimples.
See the round --

Yeah.
Without the claws.

Oh, yeah, yeah. I see that.
I see that. Yeah.

And there's three dimples here.
This could be

A mountain lion track

Like literally within
the last 24 hours.

When you find tracks like this,
usually it's on a game trail.

And that's pretty much what
their driveway has turned into

In the last 10 months.

And game trails are the best
place to put trail cams.

Now we're talking.

I'm going to teach riley and
liam how to use these trail cams

So they can monitor
the predators

On their own homestead.

We're going to set them up
right here on the driveway,

The "game trail,"
and see what we can see.

I think that's perfect.

Boom. Now we're on it.

Now we got to do
a funny, like, dance

Or like --
[ laughs ] yeah.

Hold this. Hold this.
Here we go.

Yeah.

[ Laughs ]

We're going
to look at that later.

♪♪

Narrator:
across the homestead...

Well, moment of truth
right now.

Narrator: ...misty and jessie
are back at the well,

Trying to salvage a source
of water for the property.

I just hope
water comes out of this thing.

Yeah.

It's pretty crispy.

Yeah.

We've created this little
makeshift connection with wires.

We got the generator down here.

We need to see if it works
and keep our fingers crossed

That there's potable water
for animals and people.

[ Engine starts ]

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Oh, yeah!
Oh! Alright.

There's water!

Alright.
Oh, my gosh.

Okay, so, I'm trying
not to get too excited.

There is water.
But now we have to test it.

So we're gonna see how many
parts per million we're at.

Under 500, good.
Over 500, bad.

Okay.

Narrator: deep in the high
sierra nevada mountains

Of northern california,
the raneys are attempting

To rescue a homestead
completely reduced to ashes.

Misty: we're showing up
in complete devastation,

Starting from ground zero.

Narrator: in a small home
with much of their livestock...

Is that a turkey?

...a once-proud
homesteading family

Now find themselves on the brink
of losing their dream.

To save the homestead,

Marty must build
a new animal compound

And misty must secure
the water supply.

Under 500, good.
Over 500, bad.

Okay.



We're nowhere near 500.

That's great news.
It's awesome news.

We're looking at 69 parts
per million, which is amazing.

Right now, this is a huge hurdle
we've jumped.

This is pretty exciting.
Very.

Narrator: across the homestead,
marty shows craig

How to build an animal compound
in record-breaking time

Utilizing rocks on the property.

So, I've thought of
about 20 ways we could do this.

Very large excavator,

Tiny area to work in.

The plan was to get
right there, grab this thing,

Set it on a couple logs,
get it started,

Get -- run behind it,
and roll it in.

Famous last words.

Marty: rebuilding a homestead
out of the ashes

From a devastating forest fire

Is something
we've never done before.

♪♪

♪♪

You've got to think
outside the box.

♪♪

Craig and jessie deserve
anything and everything

That we can do
to make their lives easier,

But for 10 months, these animals
have been displaced,

And it wasn't their fault.
In a very short period of time,

These might be the luckiest
animals in california.

Instant barn.

Bring me some goats.

♪♪

[ Bear growls ]

Narrator: the next morning...

-How's it going, len?
-Hey, how are you?

Thanks for having me up.

...matt arranges
for a rattlesnake wrangler

To help him sweep the homestead

For the region's
deadliest predator.

I know a lot about
the animals that crawl around

On four legs --
bears, wolves, you name it.

But as far as things
that slither, I am no expert.

So, this is actually a place
that the kids brought me

And this is where they saw
a rattlesnake.

Correct.
I believe that.

Looks like a good spot.

Len, he's been hunting snakes

For over 30 years,

Ever since he was a little kid.

And if anybody's going
to figure out

How to keep this place safe,
it's going to be him.

So how are you taking these
snakes out when you find them?

We have just a long tube

That we've run a wire down
and through

And just noose them.

Challenging. Yeah.
Yeah.

Probably better
to have snake grabbers,

Like four or five of them
laid out on your property.

In alaska,
we don't have snakes.

If I could choose between
grizzly bears or snakes,

I would definitely
choose grizzly bears.

Snakes are a whole
different thing.

I like animals
that I can hear coming.

So rather than lifting it
like this where I'm exposed,

It would be better to flip it,
create a shield,

In the event something were
beneath here.

My gut instinct
is just to go like this.

And then it's like, "hey,"
you know, boom.

See how you're exposed?
Yeah.

You just have to constantly
be alert of your surroundings.

A lot of good
hiding places.

Craig:
all over the place.

Narrator: as len and craig
hunt for snakes...

♪♪

...matt begins milling wood for
misty's predator-proof garden.

♪♪

What's up, guys?

Whoo!
Hey.

Matt: I know that we've started
a garden here,

But it's got to be bear-proof,
claw-proof.

So, how high
should this fence be?

To keep out
most everything,

Keep in most everything,

And, yeah.
I mean, no deer.

I want to go 8 feet,
I think.

Okay. 10 Footers,




Narrator: misty's plan is
to build a 60x20-foot garden

With an 8-foot-high
predator-proof fence.

Misty will institute a core
gardening method

Using a straw-based under-layer

With fresh new soil
over the top.

What makes this method unique
and ideal for arid landscapes

Is that the buried straw
acts like a sponge,

Holding onto water
for weeks at a time.

Then as the straw
slowly decomposes,

It releases vital nutrients
to the vegetation and soil.

We have these amazing
cedar 4x4 posts,

Thanks to matt.

♪♪

And this part is
the most important,

Because we need to be plumb.

This doesn't have to be perfect
as long as it's high.

I cannot wait to get back

To growing our own
good, healthy food.

This is going to be a big part
of the healing process,

Not just for me, but for
the whole family, I think.

So far, so good.

Narrator: later, at the top
of the homestead...

-Good lord.
-Ooh, ooh.

Don't point it
towards me.

...len the snake wrangler

Shows off
the spoils of the hunt.

This is called
a northern pacific rattlesnake,

And it's common in this area.
It's venomous.

So this is the rattlesnake
that we're dealing with.

And you guys have
seen this before?

Yeah.
Yes.

Len: and I pulled another one
that's a little bit larger.

This is, like, raising the hair
on the back of my neck.

-Ooh.
-It looks angry.

Whoa!

Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah.
Strike it.

-Strike it.
-Dear lord.

Narrator: on a remote peak
deep in northern california's

Sierra nevada mountains,
the raneys are four days

Into a homestead rescue
unlike any other.

Whoa!

Matt has brought out
a local expert

To help clear the homestead
of deadly rattlesnakes.

Oh, yeah,
oh, yeah, oh, yeah.

-Whoa.
-Whoa.

Riley:
that's a big one.

-Oh, wow.
-Wow.

Craig: look at that tongue.
Matt: that's a fat snake.

-Yeah.
-Has a fat tongue.

So, is this a big one?

This is a pretty average size.
He's about 3 feet.

Man. So they're here
even after the fire.

Absolutely.

It's crazy to be face-to-face

With, you know, not just one
but two rattlesnakes.

I mean, this is
a dangerous reptile,

Lives right here
on this homestead.

And it really
drives home the point

That these animals
are still here.

Riley: rattlesnake chili.
[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Narrator: the next morning...

Matt: come on, dudes.
First trail cam.

-Alright. Here it is.
-Alright.

-Last one.
-Pull it all the way off.

Here we go.

Narrator: ...matt and the boys
check the trail cams they posted

Around the property for any
trace of dangerous predators.

Liam: rabbit.

Ooh.

What's that?
Ooh, that's a coyote.

It was, like,
right there.

Riley and liam
encountering predators

Is not what
I'm worried about at all.

I mean, they're like tom sawyer
and huck finn.

Now they have a new way
to monitor their property

So they can keep seeing

Who their four-legged neighbors
really are.

And that's going
to keep them safe.

♪♪

Narrator:
at the garden build...

So, first thing's first -- get
the logs around the perimeter.

...misty's putting
the finishing touches

On the predator-proof fencing.

Okay. So, we put in
these retaining beds.

This garden space
is on the side of a mountain.

And once you put dirt here,

It will have a tendency
to just wash away.

So this is the retaining wall
that's retaining the dirt.

But it gets better than that.

[ Truck horn honks ]

-Whoo-hoo!
-Whoo-hoo!

So, we have
a surprise for you.

Look what's been donated
to you and your family --

Organic compost, certified,
and some soil,

Since all of the good ground
got completely stripped away.

This will not grow food,
but this will.

Aah!

[ Laughter ]

That is a lot of soil. Wow.

Craig: getting that dirt
is such a relief for us.

To be able to plant again

And take one more step towards
being self-sustaining again

Is just such a blessing.

-Hi.
-Hi. Nice to meet you.

-Good to meet you, bob.
-Hi. I'm jessie.

This is our life right here.

And you don't know how much
you're giving back to us.

This is just
a little part.

Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.

-You're so very welcome.
-Thank you.

That is like handing them
a year's worth of groceries.

So, family,
we are going to start

Getting those core
straw bales

In those long rows


And we're gonna start now.

So basically
just going like this.

We're getting
this underground, yep,

And we're going
this whole length.

Make sense?

Jessie lives in
a pretty crazy climate.

Introducing core
gardening is ideal.

So you're creating, in essence,

An underground
irrigation system.

In this case,
it's gonna be straw.

And it's this long sponge,
if you will, that you bury.

Man, you guys are good workers.

You charge it with water
and just soak it,

And it acts
as a slow release underground.

You just got to do this
like a million times.

It's going to take us all day
pretty much.

Okay.

♪♪

Narrator: back at the site
of the future animal compound...

On day 1,
when I showed up here,

Everything on this property
was burnt to a crisp.

As you well know...
Right.

...except your rocks.
Okay?

So, I have a container
right there.

Put a gate right here.
Right?

Right.
Okay.

Jessie: I've never seen
anything like that before.

He's putting a lot of love
and attention into that thing.

It looks like a fortress.

This is basically
fireproof.

That's great.

Okay?

And then look
what naturally was right here.

Oh, my goodness.

A beautiful solid wall.
That's beautiful.

Crazy?
Yeah. Yeah, it's great.

That is --
that's all granite.

That's fantastic.

It's not going anywhere.

And this will be just
one massive stone corral.

Goat-henge.
Let's call it goat-henge.

Goat-henge it is.

This is so cool.

Everywhere I look,
there's stuff going on.

And I know there's still
so much to do,

But it really feels like
the lifeblood of our homestead

Is coming back.

I think that has been
really healing.

Narrator:
with less than 24 hours left
to save the homestead,

Marty pulls out a homestead hack

To quickly build
a perimeter fence line

Around the animal compound.

Man: there it goes, marty!

♪♪

We've got about one day left
to get a lot of work done,

Namely fencing.

No fencing, no animals are
coming back to this homestead.

There we go.

Money.

So, right now we just set


If you will, in one big log.

Now we'll just drive these fence
posts with an excavator.

That'll work.

It's just phenomenal
how much life

Is being breathed
into this property.

We have fencing, we have gates,
and it just feels so good.

♪♪


In a half hour. Done.

Narrator: six days ago,
the raneys arrived

To find a once-thriving
homestead reduced to ash

In the wake
of a catastrophic wildfire...

Marty:
it's pretty clear to me

That they're very fortunate
to be alive.

...and a homesteader
who had lost her passion

For homesteading.

We had paradise here.

Narrator: now marty
is racing to finish

A new fire- and predator-proof
compound

For the homestead's
displaced livestock...

Basically fireproof.

...while misty fast-tracks
a new garden

To bring self-sufficiency back
to the homestead.

Misty: man, you guys
are good workers.

♪♪

At the garden...

Turn it on!

...misty has one final hurdle
to clear.



This week has been busy.

This family had nothing,
and now look around.

The garden space is bigger

Than the one
that they lost in the fire.

Oh, my goodness.

This family
is going to turn this

Into a year-round grocery store.

Okay, I'll start
planting these.

Food on the homestead.

Narrator:
less than a week ago,

A massive scar
blanketed this charred hilltop.

Now jessie and craig

Have a 1,500-square-foot
self-irrigating garden

Filled with fresh, fertile soil

And a diverse supply of fruit
and vegetable crops

To help keep the homestead
self-sufficient all year round.

Jessie:
cauliflower in the house.

This is crazy.

You know, 30 days to 60 days,

We're gonna have food
coming out of here.

Narrator:
across the property...

Okay.

Narrator: ...a year after
the homestead burned down

And the livestock
was displaced to the city,

Marty has constructed
a sprawling new animal compound.

Marty:
come through this gate.

You'll see a totally
fenced-off area,

Not one thing flammable.

Steel containers
surrounded by rocks

As high as 10 feet tall.

Not one thing
can burn in here.

Mm-hmm.

This beautiful family
of yours

Can come in here
in case of emergency.

Jessie: that's huge.

California has big forest fires,

And everyone says
it'll happen again.

These homesteaders have been
left with a safe haven,

A fortress of stone.

If I was to do this job
for somebody,

I would charge him $50,000.

Wow.

Oh, my gosh.
I never dreamed

We'd have anything like that
on our property.

It blows me away.

The only thing that's missing
at the moment

Are the animals themselves.
Yeah.

Marty:
well... [ Whistles ]

[ Laughs ]

Misty: whoo!

[ Goats bleating ]

-Goes that way.
-Oh, slides.

-Come on!
-Let's go!

[ Yodeling ]

That's it. Good boys.

[ Yodels ]

Look at these goats.
Oh, wow.

Liam: yes!

Narrator: a week ago,
the burned-out homestead

Was barely clinging to life.

Now, after $500 worth of diesel
for the excavator,

The lifeblood of the homestead

Has returned
from a 10-month exile.

The homestead
is whole once again.

Marty: now that the goats
have returned to the homestead,

Craig and jessie can get back

To building
that goat landscaping business.

They're set up for success.

It feels completely different
with our animals here

And all of
the debris cleared.

Craig: yeah. Bringing
the animals back up here

Probably would've taken
another 8 to 12 months.

It was a tall order,

But this has helped
in the healing process so much.

Misty: there's animals
back on the homestead,

Which is such a huge day.

Jessie's extremely happy.

Everyone's relieved.
They're home.

To witness that firsthand
was a really rewarding moment.

I'm just so privileged to be
able to share this with them.

You have a starting point.
Definitely.

And you're in
a good place now.

Riley: yeah, you couldn't have
done better. It's really great.

[ Voice breaking ] I want
to thank you guys so much.

You're very welcome,
young man.

I want to say
that I'm really glad...

[ Sniffles ]

...that your family
survived the fire.

And it's an amazing story.

These boys actually saw
the fire first

And may have saved
your whole family's lives

-They really did.
-They definitely did.

Jessie: well, we're grateful
for you, for all of you,

For being here and doing this.

This just really kick-started us
out of the ashes.

We're just going to rise,

And we're gonna be
stronger than ever.

I consider it a privilege

To have been able
to help these homesteaders

Rise from the ashes, literally.

Now they have a chance

To restart
their homesteading dream.

[ Sighs ]
I can't even take it.

The hardest thing...

[ Boy sighs ]

...is saying goodbye
to these people.

There they go.

There they go, guys.

♪♪

Jessie:
it's been about three months
since the raneys were here,

And the animals are just loving
their new home here

In the goat-henge.

It took a couple of months,

But misty's core garden ideas
really have paid off.

We have plenty of vegetables
to last through the winter.

Jessie: we're still working with
insurance to rebuild our home.

Construction is supposed
to start in a few months,

But we can thank the raneys

For bringing back
the rest of our homestead.

Riley:
we haven't seen any rattlesnakes
since the raneys have been here.

Thanks, matt.

Thanks for everything.

Riley: now follow the leader.
[ Turkey gobbles ]