Tuesday morning, the community of Noxon suffered an absolutely devastating loss. Several buildings and businesses were destroyed by fire. It is heartbreaking for the whole community, especially the business owners and employees.

The loss of property is only the tip of what these community members - our neighbors - are going to endure in the aftermath of this fire. Thankfully no one was injured in the fire.

Along with the cleanup efforts, now comes the "what do we do next?" stage for the community. When you only have a handful of businesses in a small rural community, any loss has an impact.

Now is when our whole county as a community needs to come together to support our neighbors. This is what we're good at. When someone is sick, or someone's house burns down or a whole block of a community is destroyed, residents of Sanders County congregate in support.

As word began to spread online and through social media of the Tuesday fire, many people began to comment memories of visiting the businesses. I reminisced about being at the Waunagan bar when I was younger and playing shuffleboard. I talked with longtime residents on Tuesday who shared their own memories of the businesses and building. When visitors would come, taking them to Toby's was always a highlight. You could spend hours looking at all the photos and stickers on the walls and admiring all the silver dollars embedded in the bar and on the walls.

I often use this space to encourage people to shop local, help strangers in our small towns and show strengths as a community. Now is a perfect time to show your community spirit. As more information is released and needs are expressed, be there for our neighbors in Noxon.

Our thoughts are with the whole community, and we hope these businesses will once again thrive as pillars of Sanders County.

— Annie Wooden