From a distance you would never know what happened to Paul Felthauser's home, but when the wind shifts you can smell it.
"It took us two years to build it, and in an hour it was gone."
A neighbor woke Felthauser's grandson Alex Sims Friday around 4:00 in the afternoon after the home went up in flames.
"This place has been here a little more than half of my life," said Sims. "It was being built when I was 11 years old, I helped put the foundation on."
This isn't the first time the Felthausers have dealt with a disaster, in 2011 the Wasilla Creek overflowed, flooding their home.
The Felthausers were coming back from Anchorage Friday, when they arrived, the house was fully engulfed. It took fire crews nearly an hour to douse the flames.
The fire couldn't come at a worse time for Felthauser, who is legally blind.
"We'd been real sick lately and barely paying the bills, so no insurance on the house because that lapsed."
Felthauser says fire officials have not yet told him what caused the blaze, but he suspects it's an electrical malfunction.
He plans on rebuilding his home. The Felthausers also have an account set up at Mat Valley Credit Union for anyone who wants to help.
