MARIPOSA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The sights and sounds of the first day of school in Mariposa remain the same, but the scenery on the horizon has changed, dramatically.
"As you're coming into town, it looks like a war zone," said Shawn Fletcher, a parent.
Fletcher is like so many others in town, back to work in the wake of the Detwiler Fire with a child back in class.
"Now that he's back in school, he's probably gonna be running into people who lost things."
Out of all the schools in Mariposa County, Robin Hopper, the Superintendent, said 18 students lost homes. But all were affected mainly by the evacuation orders and the power outage that followed.
"It's a very traumatic event."
Some students are still considered homeless and many of their parents still need help with food and clothes. Hopper said the school district considered delaying the first day but decided it was best to move forward like normal.
"We need our children back in school, that's where our meals are, our councilors are, and our teachers are. Children are anxious to get back in school and to have that normalcy back in their lives is what's gonna help heal our students and our families."
Fletcher agrees, but a full recovery for him and his son will take time.
"We haven't forgotten, it was an 80,000 acre fire, I think it's the only time I've ever evacuated this town, so it's not something we're gonna forget overnight."
The school district helped a lot of kids with backpacks and school supplies. The Superintendent said there will also be counselors available to the students for as long as they are needed.