Dan and Crystal Wilson know about loss. 

In 2018, their home in Paradise, Calif., was destroyed in the Camp Fire. Pictures, keepsakes and a lifetime of memories went up in flames in the historic blaze that destroyed over 18,000 structures and resulted in 85 fatalities. 

“We lost everything,” Crystal Wilson said. 

They chose North Idaho to start over.

In 2023, they bought 6 acres in Athol and moved there. They had visited the area previously to see family and loved it. 

“It felt like home,” Crystal Wilson said. 

Dan Wilson, an Idaho State Patrol trooper, worked on building a house when he found the time as the family, including daughters Riley and Emma, lived in an RV on the property. 

But shortly after midnight Thursday, their fifth wheeler started to shake as winds picked up outside. They could hear it howling. Gusts became stronger, more intensive and more frequent. 

“That's when we heard the first big trusses fall,” Crystal Wilson said. 

It was a “pretty terrifying” night and tears fell. 

“None of us got any sleep,” she said. 

At dawn, they got their first real look at the extent of the damage. It was bad. Worse than they even imagined.  

All the trusses of their future home lay on the ground. The back wall was gone. Porch beams tossed aside. Concrete posts toppled. The foundation was damaged. 

Only the front wall was still standing. 

“All of our hard work was gone in minutes,” Crystal Wilson said. “We were all devastated and didn't know how we were going to continue and if we were going to be able to continue.” 

The family, though, recovered from the disappointment and determination set in: They would build it again. 

“We’re going to keep going,” Crystal said. “Just keep pushing forward.” 

That's what the Wilsons do. 

“We have each other’s backs,” Crystal said. 

Their daughters have stayed strong, too, assured by their parents it would be OK. 

“We told them we would figure it out, like we always do,” Crystal said. 

What has boosted their spirits, too, has been the community response.  

Neighbors rallied to them. Strangers offered assistance. Already, much of the debris from the windstorm has been cleaned up. 

“People who don't even know us called and said they would come and help us,” she said. “It’s been really great knowing we're not alone. I don’t know how to say thank you enough.” 

Crystal’s sister, Danielle Larsson, has started a GoFundMe account for the family. It had nearly raised $12,000 from 64 donors as of late Monday. 

The home will need an entirely new truss package. The foundation will need to be replaced, and several of the posts and beams were damaged and will have to be rebuilt as well.

“In other words, much of what Daniel spent the last few years building will have to be started again,” Larsson wrote.  

She said Daniel and Crystal are not the kind of people who ask for help. 

“This has been a heartbreaking setback for their family, but the kindness and encouragement from this community has already meant so much to them," Larsson wrote.

Through it all, Crystal said the family is grateful for their neighbors, for their safety, for the opportunity to start over yet one more time. 

And yes, she is also looking forward to their house being finished.

“I am ready for more space,” she said, laughing.