In late October, a natural cover fire destroyed or heavily damaged an estimated 23 structures in the village of Wooldridge. A combination of a prolonged period of extreme drought and high winds caused the fire to spread rapidly, burning more than 3,000 acres on its way.
When The Ash Settles documents seven days of recovery for the residents of Wooldridge. The McComb family, who lost their home, dog and two birds in the Saturday blaze, sifted through ash in search of their wedding rings. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler visited on fourth day to examine the wreckage and promise support for the recovery effort. Part of their search was to determine whether the fire caused enough devastation to merit a federal disaster declaration.
Cinematography by Bradford Siwak, Kennedy McGilvery, Kelsey Rightnowar, Beatrice Bankauskaite and Josh Ellenburg
Drone footage by Aaron Phillips, Josh Wright and Maya Bell
Edited by Maya Bell, Josh Ellenburg and Kelsey Rightnowar
Supervising Editing by Cleo Norman