GRIZZLY FLATS, Calif. — Nearly five years after the devastating 2021 Caldor Fire tore through El Dorado County, many residents of Grizzly Flats say the recovery remains painfully incomplete.
Entire neighborhoods once reduced to ash still contain vacant lots, burned tree stands and temporary trailers where families continue living while waiting for the financial means to rebuild. Community leaders and residents say one of the largest obstacles has been the lack of FEMA individual assistance for homeowners who lost homes and businesses during the fire.
The Caldor Fire ignited in August 2021 and ultimately burned more than 221,000 acres across El Dorado, Alpine and Amador counties, destroying hundreds of homes in Grizzly Flats and forcing widespread evacuations. Federal officials approved firefighting assistance through FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant program, but requests for direct individual disaster assistance for residents were denied.
That decision continues to frustrate local officials and survivors.
“I’ve not given up on that part,” El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo said during a recent community event focused on rebuilding efforts. “I’m still fighting for the individual assistance.”
County officials say rebuilding in Grizzly Flats has moved far slower than many expected in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Karen Garner, El Dorado County’s planning and building director, acknowledged the emotional and financial toll the prolonged recovery has taken on residents.
“Back then, when you thought, ‘Five years, that’s a long time. Everything’s gonna be fine and we’ll be back on our feet in five years,’” Garner said. “That didn’t happen. It’s a lot harder and bigger struggle than you could ever imagine.”
A new partnership between El Dorado County and HomeAid Sacramento aims to help accelerate recovery by building 12 smaller Title 25 rural dwelling homes in Grizzly Flats. Six homes are expected to begin construction this year, according to officials. The homes are designed as more affordable replacement housing for fire survivors struggling with soaring construction costs.
Even with those efforts, many residents remain financially trapped between insurance payouts and sharply higher rebuilding expenses.
In interviews over the past several years, survivors described being forced to live in RVs, temporary trailers or rental housing while paying mortgages on properties where homes no longer exist. Others discovered their insurance coverage fell far short of actual reconstruction costs as labor, materials and updated building code requirements drove prices upward.
The slow pace of rebuilding has also impacted critical community institutions.
More than four years after the fire destroyed Walt Tyler Elementary School, the site remains largely vacant while the Pioneer Union School District works to secure funding for reconstruction. District officials estimate rebuilding the small campus could cost approximately $9 million, with millions still unfunded. Students currently commute long distances to schools outside the community.
“This is a very resilient community,”
Pioneer Union School District Superintendent Patrick Paturel told CBS Sacramento earlier this year.
“There’s a pride of ownership that people who live here in Grizzly Flats have.”
The rebuilding challenges facing Grizzly Flats reflect broader statewide concerns about wildfire recovery in California. Housing shortages, insurance instability, labor costs and lengthy permitting processes have slowed reconstruction efforts in multiple wildfire zones across the state.
Despite the obstacles, residents and local leaders say the community has not given up.
Small signs of progress — new foundations, utility restoration and the first completed replacement homes — are beginning to emerge across Grizzly Flats. For many families, however, the recovery remains measured not in months, but in years.
And nearly five years after the flames swept through the mountain town, many survivors say they are still waiting for Grizzly Flats to feel like home again.
