‘It did change us’: How a former Douglas resident is helping his hometown [Video]

DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — The fires inside the Douglas churches may be out, but the images are still burning in the minds of the community.

Ben Troglia, a former Douglas resident, is using one of those images to help the congregations of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. It’s been five months since two fires destroyed two historic churches in Douglas and now Troglia is trying to create some good out of a bad situation.

“I left Douglas but Douglas never left me,” he said. “I wanted to turn a negative into a positive and so it was my outlet to give back to the community…hopefully we can turn a really bad thing into a really good thing.”

Troglia lives in Phoenix, and first heard about the fires on social media. After seeing the photos online, he knew he wanted to help, despite being more than 200 miles …