BOULDER, Colo. -- The fires still burning in California are now affecting people who call Colorado home.
One young man is a missionary and is spending two years away from his family to spread the word of Jesus Christ.
Elder Tyler Vail's family home was reduced to rubble, just the chimney remains.
"Everyone made it out OK, I made sure my dog made it out OK too. That's pretty important. Everything else is really just a house ultimately," Vail said.
With this missionary assignment, Vail can't watch TV or use the internet. He can only call home on certain holidays, so a church member is getting updates.
The church has come together to fund the rest of Vail's two year trip. It's a trip he wants to finish.
During Vail's interview with FOX31, a church member got word that Vail's grandmother's house was destroyed, too.