Latest news with #CaldorFire
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Grizzly Flats man helping neighbors rebuild using burned Caldor Fire trees
On Aug. 14, 2021, a cloud of smoke rose over El Dorado County. Within hours, strong winds and dry conditions transformed that plume into a raging firestorm. The Caldor Fire would go on to burn more than 221,000 acres, level much of Grizzly Flats, and leave hundreds of families without homes, some without insurance or any clear path to rebuild. Matt Nunley remembers the day he returned to see the damage. He braced himself for the worst. "It's amazing our house did make it. I wasn't expecting that when we came back," Nunley said. Against all odds, his home was still standing, while both of his next-door neighbors lost everything. That luck became the driving force behind a mission he's been on for the past four years: helping his community get back on its feet. Before the fire, Nunley had spent 35 years working as a software engineer. Construction wasn't part of his skill set, but he saw a resource all around him: wood from the countless trees the fire had knocked down. "We still had piles of logs and I thought, one resource this community has is wood. So it was kind of a no-brainer to buy a mill, learn how to use it, and start building," he said. Nunley retired two years after the fire and now works full-time turning those burned trees into usable lumber. He's built sheds to help displaced families store belongings they can't keep in temporary RVs or trailers, and he lends a hand wherever construction help is needed. "I can't handle seeing my neighbors in RVs," Nunley said. "You just have to do something." The rebuilding process in Grizzly Flats has been slow. Many residents are still living in temporary housing, and some lost homes without insurance, making recovery even harder. Nunley says his work isn't done and won't be for years to come. "We're seeing what we can do. It's been a long four years, it really has," he said. His next big goal is building a community center, a place where residents can gather, share resources, and support each other through the ongoing recovery. "I may not have lost my house in the Caldor Fire," Nunley said, "but I consider everyone's recovery part of my own story."
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Four years after Caldor Fire, first home rebuild under Title 25 program nears completion in Grizzly Flats
Nearly four years after the Caldor Fire wiped out most of Grizzly Flats, the first home under El Dorado County's new rebuilding program is finally taking shape, offering a powerful symbol of hope for a community still struggling to recover. Mac MacNeil and Cathie Adams lost their home in the fire that sparked on Aug. 14, 2021, the day the wildfire sparked and eventually burned more than 221,000 acres. The flames leveled much of their town, leaving hundreds of residents homeless, some without insurance. "When you look around, you don't see the town. It's all gone," MacNeil said. For Adams, the loss became real when she saw a video of the neighboring church they shared a property line with. It was gone and so was their home. Now, their property is buzzing with construction crews. Their new house is being built under the county's Title 25 Limited Density Owner-Built Rural Dwelling Ordinance, a program launched last year to waive certain fees and relax building regulations for smaller homes in disaster-hit areas. The effort is being led by Non-Profit Construction Corporation, founded by Caleb Armstrong, who partnered with local businesses to donate labor and materials. "Coming from so little, I just couldn't see it happen for them. They needed help," Armstrong said. Initially, MacNeil admits, they doubted Armstrong could pull it off. "We thought, poor Caleb is so naive, he'll never get through all this. He did it. He is a saint," he said. The county recently extended the Title 25 program through June 2027 to help other survivors still struggling to rebuild. Armstrong says Mac and Cathie's home should be finished within a month, a milestone for the couple, and a sign that recovery is still possible for Grizzly Flats.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Galt Police unveil memorial of former officer Harminder Grewal
Feb. 22—A memorial statue bust of Harminder Grewal was unveiled on Thursday afternoon at the Galt Police Department, with family, friends and colleagues gathering to honor an officer who died in the line of duty. The ceremony was the culmination of a community-wide effort to cement the legacy of a public servant who was named Officer of the Year just months before he was tragically killed in a vehicle collision. A post of the Galt Police Department Facebook page read "This memorial proudly stands in front of our department building and serves as a lasting symbol of his unwavering commitment, courage, and the impact he made on our department and community. Officer Grewal's sacrifice will always be remembered, and his dedication will continue to inspire those who serve." On Aug. 22, 2021, at 4:35 a.m., Grewal and fellow officer Kapri Herrera were traveling north on Highway 99 to assist with the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County when their patrol car was struck head-on by a Ford pick-up truck that jumped the concrete median from the southbound lanes near the Dillard Road interchange. Both Grewal and Herrera had to be extricated from the vehicle, with the former taken to Kaiser's South Sacramento campus in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries four days later. Herrera returned the department after a long recovery. An officer with the Galt department for more than two years at the time of his death, Grewal was named the 2020 Officer of the Year in 2021. He had also been recognized by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving California the prior March at an awards ceremony for helping remove 64 impaired motorists from the streets in 2020. Grewal's name is on the Fallen Heroes Memorial outside Galt City Hall, along with Galt Police Officer Kevin Tonn and Sacramento County Animal Control Officer Roy Marcum, who were both shot and killed in the line of duty, Tonn in January 2013 and Marcum in November 2012.
CBS News
17-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Caldor Fire survivors lose newly built barn in fire that killed show animals
GRIZZLY FLATS – Fire has devastated a Grizzly Flats family for the second time. The family, who lost their home in the 2021 Caldor Fire, had just finished rebuilding their barn when tragedy struck again, taking the lives of two show animals. "It took me three days to not just cry," said Amber Tyler, who lost her show animals to the flames. Amber has not been back to their property in Grizzly Flats since that fire engulfed the brand-new barn last Tuesday. She has been staying with her grandparents. Since she was 5 years old, Amber has been raising animals for show. The now 17-year-old has just brought Dottie the pig and Oakley the lamb home to their barn a week before the fire. "How do you call your kid and tell them that they just lost everything that they dreamed of?" said Amber's mother, Candance Tyler. Candance said a neighbor noticed the barn was on fire as the family was out of the house. By the time they returned, it was too late. "Mainly everything that she lost was stuff she had replaced since Caldor with her own money, so it's heart-wrenching watching her struggle again," Candance said. Like many other Caldor Fire survivors, no insurance has made the rebuilding process slow and pricey. "We're still in our trailer almost four years later struggling to rebuild," Candance said. "We're building everything by ourselves with the help of family and friends. California just has so many rules and regulations that make it so hard to rebuild." They will have to start from scratch again on the barn, but Amber's passion hasn't died and she is seeing the Grizzly Flats community show up for her when she needs it most. Amber's grandma is giving her a piglet for show and a family friend has provided her a lamb. "I am just so proud of her she is just so resilient she just keeps moving forward," Candance said. "Even though we just have one tragedy after the other that seems to just keep happening." The family believes a heat lamp inside the barn may have started the fire. It will cost thousands to rebuild what was lost, but Amber is looking forward to showing off her new animals this summer with dreams of becoming a large animal emergency veterinarian someday.
