(BLACK FOREST, Colo.) — As the 10-year anniversary of the Black Forest fire approaches, one elder at the Black Forest Chapel reflects on a fateful day and how the main chapel building went untouched by the flames.

“It was one of those unique things that because of the temperature, the dryness and everything,” Black Forest Chapel Elder, Richard Marchbank said. “Once it got up into the top of the trees, there was [no] stopping it.”

As Marchbank stands out front of the chapel, he looks out and recalls the path of the fire.

“It cleared out from those line of trees there up into this area here, cleared this whole swath out, heading sort of over the east and north,” Marchbank said. “And then when the wind changed, it then began to blow it back north here. This house, the two houses down here, they were all burnt, destroyed.”

The Black Forest fire would burn more than 14,000 acres and destroyed over 500 homes. The fire destroyed two of the buildings on the property – the youth ministry building and a building one of the chapel members lived in.

“We have to trust the Lord, for it’s in his hands,” Marchbank said. “We obviously would have been a loss for us in the community, but the Lord was gracious to us. We lost two outbuildings that we had used previously, but the Lord saved our main building, and we were very thankful for that.”

Back in 2013, FOX21 spoke with the chapel member who lived in one of the outbuildings, Jared Earhart, who showed the damage done on the land.

Footage from one of the buildings lost back in 2013. Courtesy: Daniel Martin.

“We would have entered here and you had a living room and our bedrooms in the back,” said Earhart.

Footage from back in 2013 of the damage on the land. Courtesy: Daniel Martin.

As Marchbank walked towards the chapel, he pointed out how close the flames got to the building.

“It’s just a reminder that everything in this world is temporal,” Marchbank said. “The Lord gives us blessings while we’re here. It had burnt and around in this mulch… and we could see [the] spot where the mulch charred and turned to ash and it came into this area specifically, we could see it, and that’s as close as it come.”

The two outbuildings lost to the fire were not rebuilt, though Jared had the opportunity to take another job across the country closer to family.

“So we decided not to rebuild the youth house and the parsonage,” Marchbank said. “Jared had gone ahead and got a chance to go to another church back east, closer to his family, and we were thankful for that.”

Inside of the Black Forest Chapel a wooden cross is lit up.

Black Forest Chapel welcomes all faiths to come and visit. The chapel offers Biblical Teaching and Authentic Worship with Family and Friends. The times can be found online.

As the years have passed, Marchbank remembers the tragedy that hit the land, but said over time he has seen the community heal.

“We’ve seen a lot of changes and people,” Marchbank said. “Of the 500 homes were lost, there was a lot of people that, because it was so devastating, they never rebuilt themselves. They either sold the barren land or did other things. So, seeing as how we’ve been here since the sixties, the chapel has been here… so we’re happy and fortunate to be able to serve those around here.”