Krebs & Gomez Fire Relief Fund

The home of Doug and June Krebs with their youngest son Dakota, as well as the home of their daughter Colleen and her husband Daniel Gomez, burned down on September 2nd, 2020. Nearly everything both families owned was destroyed as well, and sadly the homes and property were uninsured. Neither family has much in savings, if anything at all. This is a fundraiser for both families to be able to rebuild their homes and their lives, and slowly piece together back what was lost. Our youngest brother Dakota is being cared for by both families, and needs special care. They need homes, clothes, food, vehicles, and much more. Pets and livestock were lost, and the ones that remain need to be housed and fed. Needless to say, we are all devastated.

In 2000, our family moved to Montana onto 20 acres in the Bull Mountains near Roundup, and built our log cabin together as a family over the course of two years. Our father and mother, Doug and June, had dreamed of living in the mountains and building their family a home. Their children, though young (ages 14-7 when starting), helped as they could. Colleen, Patrick, Ethan, Jedidiah, and finally Dakota (who was born shortly after moving in) were able to move into their new home on Christmas Eve of their second year building.  

We lived in tents while we did so, and didn't have a great deal of money. Our home was a work of love and labor, built on and added to slowly over time. We couldn't afford a well for the first 8 years, and had no electricity in the home for just as long.  Our dad built this home while he worked a full time construction job to provide for his family. It wasn't easy for any of us, least of all him, but it was a home that we all cherished with immense love and pride. A home that we built as a family over 20 years.

Colleen and Daniel, on starting their own family, decided to make a life on this property as well. They married on this land, as it was dear to them too. They finished building their own house in 2020 near the beginning of the year, and were helping to take care of Dakota. While their home was new, it was no less important to them, and it is heartbreaking to start a new life together and lose your home and belongings.

The Red Cross has temporarily housed both families in hotels in Billings, though we're unsure for how long. Colleen and Daniel are working tirelessly with our parents, friends, and members of their church to take care of the first immediate needs. Our family came together over the week to organize, to grieve, and most importantly, to support each other.

We don't know how much it will cost to restore both families to having some normalcy in their lives again, but anything will help. We know our parents need time to grieve, to process and plan, and to eventually clear the land, before they truly know how they'll move forward. In the meantime,  we are trying our best to raise funds to help them along. When they're ready to rebuild, we want to be ready and available too. We built as a family, and we'll rebuild as a family.

-- Ethan, Patrick & Aurora, and Jed