Forged By Fire: The Unbreakable Bonds in Medical Lake One Year After The Gray Fire [Video]

“It’s good to be back home,” Mike Hogan says as he looks around his still charred property near Clear Lake.

It’s been 12 months since the Gray fire tore through the area and destroyed Hogan’s world, burning his home to the ground.

The tremendous physical loss also took a medical toll.

“Doctors said the stroke was probably from the stress of the fire and losing everything,” Mike says.

Mike’s recovery from his stroke continues, along with his recovery from the fire.

“I used to have a beautiful yard. It’s coming back pretty well though,” he notes while looking at all that was, but also all he knows will eventually be.

“I’ll get there,” he says in a positive tone. “Starting over. Today’s my 64th birthday and you got to start over at 64? It’s rough.”

Like so many in the Medical Lake community, Mike’s rough road to rebuilding runs through a building on West Lake Street in town which …