GRIZZLY FLATS, Calif. — Five years after the Caldor Fire ripped through Grizzly Flats, two survivors finally have something that had become painfully elusive: a front door to call their own.
On Monday, Aug. 17, the fifth anniversary of the day the wildfire devastated the community, keys to the first two homes built through a public-private rebuilding effort were handed to Caldor Fire survivors.
The milestone marks a significant step in a recovery that has stretched across half a decade, with some residents still living in recreational vehicles on their burned properties while trying to find a way to rebuild.
The Caldor Fire began Aug. 14, 2021, south of Grizzly Flats. By Aug. 17, the fire had exploded across El Dorado County, destroying homes and community landmarks, including Walt Tyler Elementary School. CAL FIRE reported that the fire had reached 6,500 acres by the afternoon of Aug. 17, with 86 structures destroyed at that point in the rapidly evolving incident.
The anniversary therefore carries a particular weight in Grizzly Flats. The fire itself began three days earlier, but Aug. 17 was the day the community’s destruction became a defining reality for many residents.
Now, construction crews are helping write a different chapter.
A home, not another temporary shelter
Randy Ank, one of the first two recipients, said the new house means more than having a roof over his head.
“I can’t wait to have a house where my grandkids can come visit,” Ank said. “An RV is not a place they can stay, but with this house, they can come up for a week, and I can take them fishing, hunting and show them nature.”
The homes are modest by conventional standards: about 750 square feet, with two bedrooms and one bathroom.
But for survivors who have spent years navigating insurance problems, construction costs and the realities of rebuilding in a high-fire-risk rural community, the homes represent something far larger than their physical size.
The designs were donated by local architect Peter Wolfe. The homes are being constructed through the Caldor Fire Grizzly Flats Homeowner Rebuild Program, a partnership between El Dorado County and HomeAid Sacramento.
HomeAid’s model brings together builders, contractors, suppliers and other members of the construction industry to donate labor, materials and expertise.
Elliott Homes served as the first builder captain, organizing donated materials and labor for the initial two houses.
“I’ve been involved with the construction of thousands of houses and proud of them all, but these two homes feel so different and more meaningful than any,” said Price Walker, Elliott Homes’ vice president of project development. “We are so proud to be partnering with HomeAid Sacramento and El Dorado County to provide some relief to these Caldor Fire victims.”
Four additional homes are under construction and are scheduled for completion this fall, according to the program.
The county and HomeAid are planning the remaining six houses and are seeking additional builders and tradespeople.
The recovery gap
The rebuilding effort emerged from a problem that became clear after the fire: For some survivors, rebuilding a home was financially impossible even when they had insurance.
El Dorado County sought a federal Individual Assistance declaration through FEMA following the Caldor Fire, but the request was denied. County records say the denial prevented the county from receiving reimbursement for federal Individual Assistance programs, including Individual and Household Programs and Disaster Case Management.
The Caldor Fire ultimately burned nearly 222,000 acres, destroyed 1,003 structures and damaged another 81, according to El Dorado County records. Of the destroyed structures, 785 were homes.
For survivors in Grizzly Flats, the consequences did not end when the flames disappeared.
Some relocated. Others remained, living in RVs or other temporary arrangements while attempting to rebuild.
The county’s rebuilding effort eventually focused on a less expensive pathway for qualifying rural homeowners.
Supervisor George Turnboo, whose district includes Grizzly Flats, said the continuing hardship demanded action.
“I witnessed the one-two punch when Grizzly Flats residents felt the deep devastation from the fire and then the added devastation of the broken promise of Individual Assistance, and I wasn’t about to leave these survivors with no options, so I pushed for ways to help them,” Turnboo said.
Title 25 changes the equation
A key part of the effort was El Dorado County’s adoption of a modified Title 25 program for limited-density owner-built rural dwellings in Grizzly Flats.
The Board of Supervisors approved Ordinance 5199 in May 2024, making the modified Title 25 provisions applicable to qualifying rural dwellings in the Grizzly Flats community.
The county’s Title 25 framework is designed specifically for the rural Grizzly Flats area and provides an alternative to some of the requirements normally associated with conventional single-family construction while retaining minimum health and safety standards. County materials say a Title 25 dwelling must be owner-occupied and cannot be sold, rented or leased for at least three years.
That regulatory pathway helped make the smaller homes feasible.
In April, the Board of Supervisors formally authorized the Caldor Fire Grizzly Flats Homeowner Rebuild Program and approved $550,150.75 from the Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund to support the project. The board also authorized a memorandum of understanding with HomeAid Sacramento to administer the program and its funds.
County documents estimated the cost of a completed home at approximately $146,634, with HomeAid expected to provide a minimum of half the cost through donated materials and labor. The county’s contribution was structured around the expectation that the Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund allocation would help cover the remaining costs for the 12 homes.
HomeAid Sacramento says 12 households are participating in the program, including families and residents with significant financial and personal challenges. The organization says the project represents its first effort supporting the construction of single-family homes, undertaken because participating households were at risk of homelessness.
Builders answer the call
The program has relied heavily on an industry that has its own bottom line but, in this case, has been willing to donate something more valuable than money: expertise.
USA Properties Fund and NEXT Crafted each committed to build two homes, joining Elliott Homes in the effort.
Patrick McGuirk, vice president of construction management for USA Properties Fund, said the company viewed the project as an opportunity to help residents regain stability.
“It is an honor to partner with El Dorado County, HomeAid Sacramento, and our fellow builders to provide safe, quality homes for residents who have shown extraordinary resilience,” McGuirk said. “We are proud to be part of helping families rebuild in the community they love and begin creating new memories.”
NEXT Crafted Principal Dragos Cojocaru described the work in similarly personal terms.
“For us, building homes is our profession, but helping people rebuild their lives is our purpose,” Cojocaru said.
HomeAid Executive Director Amber Celmer said the project still has a long way to go.
“We are so thankful for our local builders and tradespeople. We couldn’t make these survivors’ dreams come true without them — but we still have more homes to build and need more help,” Celmer said.
According to HomeAid, about 10 families remain on the waiting list.
Five years later
The work underway in Grizzly Flats illustrates the difference between disaster response and disaster recovery.
The first is measured in days and weeks — evacuations, emergency shelters, firefighters and damage assessments.
The second is measured in years.
El Dorado County’s rebuilding information continues to provide residents with resources on permits, Title 25 requirements, fee waivers and temporary housing as recovery continues.
HomeAid Sacramento’s project is adding another piece to that recovery, bringing private-sector construction capacity into a community where conventional rebuilding has proved too expensive for some survivors.
The first two houses will not erase Aug. 17, 2021.
They do, however, put something new on the ground where the fire once left only foundations, debris and memories.
For Ank, the measure of success is simple.
It is not the square footage.
It is having a place where his grandchildren can stay.
It is being able to take them fishing.
And it is, finally, being able to come home.
For builders and tradespeople interested in participating, HomeAid Sacramento is seeking additional construction-industry partners. The organization can be contacted at (916) 342-0092. Donations also can be made through HomeAid Sacramento’s website.
