Cleveland man recounts watching wildfires destroy his home

A family in Cleveland lost their home and all their belongings in the fires. Now, they're looking at the long process of trying to rebuild.

The fire was caught on video.

For Chad Finley, it wasn't just the family home; it's where he spent the last 13 years of his life. He planned to retire there, but now, his focus is on rebuilding.

"It was unreal, like I got a phone call from my kid telling me we're having to evacuate," said Finley. "We were actually in Nebraska, headed back when we got the news, and we just pulled over the side of the road, and you just, you watch the video over and over, and you're just like this, this can't be real."

When he got back into town to see the damage for himself, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"It just tears at you all the memories," he said. "All the items that you've had from your family members and things that my dad built, my grandparents have made, and you can't replace any of it.

Tools, childhood toys, old cars, including his father's van — all gone in an instant.

Chad said he couldn't be more proud of his sons for doing everything they could to save their family memories. "My kids are amazing," he said. "And they do great things, but when somebody does something like this, it just stands out. It's just, you know, his heart was in it. He was not willing to give up. "

He's still working on when and how he can rebuild, but for Chad, one thing is for certain: "We're not giving up, we're not leaving. We're Oklahoma strong, and we're not going anywhere. So my boys are as resilient as I am, and we're going to rebuild right where we're at," he said.