Pandemic adds time, cost to rebuild after Colo. wildfire

LOUISVILLE, Colorado (AP) — Rex and Barba Hickman’s home of 23 years near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains has been reduced to a blackened heap by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.

Before the blaze, which ripped through nearly 1,100 homes, the Hickmans would often hang out with neighbors on their patio, sharing funny stories over a glass of wine. But that isn’t likely to happen again for years — a delay made even longer by the pandemic.

“That’s part of the reason it hurts,” Barba Hickman, 65, said earlier this week while sifting through the rubble and coming to grips with how long it might take for neighbors to once again enjoy spontaneous get-togethers.

Rebuilding is never easy or quick. Homeowners must deal with insurers, land surveyors, architects and more. But in Colorado and other states hit by natural disasters this year, the pandemic has injected extra uncertainty and created more obstacles. Shortages of workers and raw materials will make rebuilding slower and more expensive.

“It’s going to take forever,” said Kelley Moye, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Association of Realtors.

Even without a pandemic, it took nearly seven years to completely rebuild after a 2012 fire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Colorado Springs, and homebuilders are still finishing up work after a 2017 fire in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Compounding the stress for Colorado's recent wildfire victims is an extremely tight housing market. With few homes for sale or rent, families are struggling to find temporary shelter.

“It’s a huge chunk of the population who all need the same thing. And they all need it right now,” said Moye. “They can’t go half an hour away because the kids need to stay in their school district.”

The daunting road ahead for Coloradans affected by...