(Photo by Stina Sieg - KJZZ)

The tiny town of Yarnell is still rebuilding after a wildfire destroyed 127 homes in the community. The town is now a hodgepodge of lots that were untouched - and others that were completely destroyed.

(Photo by Stina Sieg - KJZZ)

Marcie Theokas lost her grandson, Garet Zuppiger, in the fire. Above, she participates in a Native American ceremony in front of photos of all the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

(Photo by Stina Sieg - KJZZ)

The Arizona State Parks Dept. is planning to build a memorial park outside of town for the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and Yarnell plans to have its own remembrance of the fallen men.

Two years ago today, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots died in the Yarnell Hill Fire. It was the deadliest blaze in Arizona history — and devastated the tiny town of Yarnell. Back in 2013, many people wondered if the little community would ever recover.

The firefighters died on a Sunday, so now the people of Yarnell come together in the center of town to remember the blaze — one Sunday a year. Dozens were gathered under a big, white tent, right next to a plaque with 19 photos of young men. But somehow, there was more gratitude in the air than sorrow, even for those who lost the most.

Lew Theokas and his wife Marcie stayed longer at the emotional get-together than most.

“Garett Zuppiger, who by virtue of his last name is always the last on the list, was my grandson — our only grandchild, actually,” Lew said.

They’ve lived a short ways up the road in Peeples Valley for years, but never felt part of the community like they have since the fire. And it’s not just about that purple ribbon a stranger left on a tree outside their home. Lew said locals have really banded together, and made them feel included. Now, any time they go into town it takes an hour, he said, because they always stop to chat with people they care about — and who care about them.

“It’s been unbelievable. It’s been enriching,” Lew said. “We are blessed.”

They’re not the only ones. After the fire destroyed 127 homes here, people in the community — and across the country — sprang into action. Groups like the Red Cross descended on the town, and donations of clothing and furniture and money poured in. Marcie saw her neighbors come together like never before.

“The help and support and caring that they’ve had, the relationships that they’ve formed. This has just been — this is not just us. This is tons of people,” she said. “Their lives are different. Our lives are different.”

Over in Glen Ilah, a neighborhood hit particularly hard by the fire, Linda Ma was standing next to the burned-up frame of what used to be a dining room chair.

“Have a seat,” she said, with a good-natured laugh.

Her house and the trees that surrounded it are gone, and only now has the smallest frame of her future home appeared. But Ma looked happy, calling her barren lot filled with boulders, a “moonscape.”

“I became a kinder and gentler human being because of this whole incident,” she said.

Maybe it’s because she threw herself into helping others. Ma is one of the members of the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group, created by locals right after the fire. So far, the group has raised about $2 million to help people rebuild — and ensure that life will go on here.

“I’m in awe of the experience,” Ma said. “I mean, tragic, yes, but it’s really brought everyone together.”

It reminds her of her old home of San Francisco, and how friendly people were in the wake of the Loma Prieta earthquake. She remembers that vibe disappearing after a few days.

“But here it just continues,” she said.

Across town, Debi and Steve Keehner were sitting on their porch, as wind chimes jangled nearby.

“I have never been this nice in my life to deserve all the wonderful things that have happened to me since the fire,” Debi said. “I know I haven’t been this good.” 

This is their new porch, on their new home build with funds from the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group. Their old home, which they had lived in for decades, burned to the ground. With it went almost everything they had, except for their vehicles and dogs and few odds and ends.

But don’t expect to hear a hint of negativity in their voices.

“We have so much to be grateful for,” Debi said, pausing as her voice choked up, “and the biggest loss with everything had to be the firefighters.”  

Steve said tragedy can make it hard to enjoy their good fortune, and keeps them forever humble.

“They gave everything they had,” he said. “And I don’t want anyone to ever forget them and what they did.”

That’s why, right now, 19 little American flags are flapping in the breeze on the porch’s railing. You can expect to see them every June.