When the McComb family moved to Wooldridge, Mo., from Boonville, Mo., they were determined to renovate their new two-story home on Main Street. Each child would get their own bedroom, they’d have a porch and a place for their many pets. The family lived in Wooldridge for a total of 18 months before a farm field across the street from the family of five burned 4,000 acres and destroyed 22 buildings along with their home, taking two pet doves and their dog, Olaf, with it.
Two days after the fire, the family wept as they made a burial site for their three pets with what was left of their property. They hadn’t slept since the Saturday that the fire broke out, feeling guilty for being away as they coached soccer at a local YMCA. By the time the family got back, the village of 62 people was evacuated, and all that remained of Main Street was rubble, smoke, and charred belongings.
Jessica McComb examines what is left of her home on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
A damaged building is seen through a burnt field on Oct 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Emmanuel McComb cries over the loss of his home and three pets as he is held by his wife, Jessica, as she cries too on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Amira McComb, 7, inspects the damage done to her trampoline by the wildfire on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
The remains of a house on Main Street are seen on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Jessica McComb uses char from the fire to write the name of her family dog on a makeshift tombstone on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Titus McComb, 9, shovels dirt to make a grave for his family dog and two pet doves on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Emmanuel McComb is given a packet about natural disaster relief from a county worker on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
A burnt car is seen through the windows of another car that was parked next to on Oct. 24 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Malachi McComb, 13, sturdies the makeshift headstone for his family dog, Olaf, and takes a moment to himself on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Emmanuel McComb takes a break from burying a hole to make a makeshift grave for the family pets as his sons, Malachi (left), 13, and Titus (right), 9, eat doritos on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Jessica McComb weeps as her son, Malachi McComb, 13, comforts her on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Titus McComb, 9, looks to where his house once stood in silence on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Emmanuel McComb lowers the remains of their family dog, Olaf, into a grave on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo. The family had to speed up the burial process because the remains began to smoke and catch fire again from the heat.
Jessica McComb hugs her son, Malachi McComb, 13, as they survey the damage to their house and prepare to bury their dog, Olaf, on Oct. 24, 2022. "He will know that he was loved, that I loved him so much," McComb said about memorializing her dog.
Jessica McComb cries as her son, Malachi, holds her while her husband, Emmanuel, buries three pets that died in the Oct. 22 fire on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Line men work to remove fallen power lines from Main Street on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
Pastor Wayne Merrill (center) examines the damage to the Wooldridge Baptist Church on Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo. Merrill has been the pastor for the church for over 40 years.
The Wooldridge Baptist Church is boarded up after flames from a wildfire damaged the front door and windows to the church. The church was built in 1906, and caught on fire after a spark made its way into the belfry.
Pews inside of the Wooldridge Baptist Church are knocked over from fire damage on Oct. 224, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo.
A fire continues to burn outside of Wooldridge on Oct. 24, 2022 in Cooper County, Mo.