Grizzly Flats rebuilds five years after Caldor Fire
Five years after the Caldor Fire destroyed nearly 500 buildings in Grizzly Flats, a partnership program is helping residents rebuild homes they could not afford to reconstruct on their own.
Randolph Ank, who lost his home in the 2021 fire, recently received the keys to a new house. "It's just hard to put into words how you feel when you're handed the keys to a new home," Ank said.
For years, Ank lived in an RV, uncertain if he would ever have a permanent home again.
"For a long time, we didn't know how we were going to get a new home. I had planned on building it myself. Fought with the mortgage company over it with the small amount of insurance money I had. It wasn't enough to start, much less finish one," he said.
Ank’s new house is part of Title 25, a program created through a partnership between El Dorado County and HomeAid Sacramento to assist fire survivors who lacked the resources to rebuild.
Amber Robbins of HomeAid Sacramento explained the program’s collaborative approach.
"We've been relying heavily upon the county to identify people who met the requirements and who were interested in Title 25 homes, but also to help us through the permit-submittal process," Robbins said.
The Caldor Fire destroyed about 400 of Grizzly Flats' 600 homes, leaving many residents displaced. While some have rebuilt and returned, others remain in RVs, unable to afford reconstruction.
El Dorado County officials said FEMA’s decision not to provide individual assistance after the fire made recovery even more challenging for some families.
"We have the official letters that say the reason why they didn't provide individual assistance is that the scope of this disaster was not large enough to warrant it, but when you look around, it's hard to imagine that that's the case; clearly Grizzly Flats was devastated," said Karen Garner of El Dorado County.
Today, two more families are receiving new homes through the program, with 10 additional homes expected to be completed.
"It's definitely going to be a vast improvement," Ank said. "I'll still be on my mountain where I want to be and as far as I'm concerned, there's no place in the world for anybody to be than right here in the center of California."
The need in Grizzly Flats remains significant, with about 10 families currently on a waiting list for homes. A total of six homes are set to be finished by the end of this year, with construction on additional homes beginning next spring.