Canyon Fire 2: Anaheim Hills residents stay positive after returning to devastated neighborhood
ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Some homeowners returned to a devastated neighborhood in Anaheim Hills on Wednesday, after the destructive Canyon Fire 2 tore through homes and thousands of acres.
Evacuees Mark and Jennifer Maguire are returning to their Anaheim Hills home, which was nearly destroyed in the fire.
They watched the news in horror as flames tore through Canyon Heights Drive, devouring home after home and stopping at theirs.
VIDEO: Wall from 2-story Anaheim Hills home collapses in Canyon Fire 2
They said they credit the firefighters.
"They stood there with water spraying in both directions and somehow, even with our windows blowing out and flames going in, they were able to keep our house standing," Jennifer Maguire said. "There's a lot of damage. We'll be out of here for a while, but that's a lot better than a lot of our neighbors."
One of those neighbors is Terri Lux. She and her family have lived in the house next door for 19 years.
She and her husband stood in the rubble for the first time today, searching for mementos from their kids' childhoods.
She said that despite the destruction, she's choosing to focus on the positive.
"There has been so much tragedy in other areas that are so much more devastating than this. This is just material stuff. We have our lives, we have our health and we have our loving family and community around us," Lux said.
She added that the outpouring of love and support after the fire has been the silver lining, and she's finding other reasons to be grateful.
"We'll rebuild," she said. "And at some point, our neighbors will probably be jealous of us because our stuff is going to be new and theirs is 20 years old!"
PHOTOS: Canyon 2 Fire destroys homes, prompts evacuations in Orange County
