These two men built the house themselves, and have a beautiful view over the vast forest.

Have you ever dreamed of living at the top of a tower with a beautiful view over vast fields and forests? Alan Colley and Dabney Tompkins did. These two men made their dream come true and now live in a so-called fire tower in the forest.

Piece of land

In the Umpqua National Forest in the southern state of Oregon, you can find the Alan and Dabney Tower of Fire. These two men first bought the land to build a hut where they could spend the weekends. Instead, they built a house modeled after a watchtower. The couple occasionally visited their watchtower, but after a few years they wanted to live there permanently. And they did.

Living in a fire tower

The kind of watchtower in which Alan and Dabney live is often built as a lookout for fires, but the tower now functions only as their residence. “You wake up to the sun shining and there is no one to be seen in any fields or roads. That is very special,” says Dabney Tomkins.

Would you like to read more about the tower, and see the inside? Read the next page.