MISSOULA — “I just miss coming home,” Randy Oppegaard — whose house burned down mid-January — told MTN News.
It's been almost a month since Oppegaard’s house burned.
The explosive fire sent items like pots and pans flying out the windows.
What's left is now off-limits since the remaining structure could collapse at any moment.
“We’re trying to figure out what's gonna happen first. If I'm gonna be able to tear this out and rebuild or just rent another one or buy another one," Oppegaard shared.
There were only a few things that made it out of the home unscathed.
“There was a couple of photos that they put on the air conditioner on the side of the house. [But] basically out of there, my guns and the urn that my wife was in,” expressed Oppegaard.
He’s been trying to take his mind off the situation but he still comes by the neighborhood to grab his mail and check on his beloved neighbors.
“I’ve talked to them a couple of times, but I come by and if they're out, I'll stop, I'll talk to them," Oppegaard stated. "We don't see much of each other. But I, I still kinda watch their neighborhood a little bit and see how things are going.”
Randy is extremely thankful to live in Missoula and have an uplifting group of people around him.
He's been staying at his daughter's house and diving into work at Garden City Floral where he delivers flowers.
“Family and friends and everything and they've been phenomenal. They've been very supportive. Even the community’s been real supportive. I get calls every day or I see people and they just say, hey, I'm sorry it happened. I thank everybody for that,” he said.
Even going through heartbreaking loss, Randy is determined to stay positive and says this for others going through tough times: “Keep your friends and your family close by and talk to them and things will work out.”
As the investigation into what caused the fire continues, we’ll keep you updated.
