As thunder crackles anew, we mark the second anniversary of the CZU fires

By Ken Doctor

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Quick Take

The fires destroyed more than 900 homes and changed many lives around Santa Cruz County. And the rebuilding efforts have been halting and tough. We look back and the people and issues we’ve covered, even as we look ahead.

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Cracks of thunder, odd rainfall, and the scent in the air made some of us wonder this week, and remember. It’s been two years since the catastrophic CZU fires of August 2020. Could it be happening again?

Then, red, orange and black skies hovered above, portending the fires that would consume more than 900 homes and upend so many lives, while pre-vaccine COVID terrors afflicted us on the ground. It was an odd, surreal time for all of us, and for many life-changing.

While Lookout launched three months after those fires, we’ve covered their aftermath in great, and personal, detail. We continue to build on that coverage, as the rebuilding of homes, and lives, is still, at best, midstream.

Here, we’ve collected some of that coverage that endures. We focus on personal stories coming out of the nightmare, the rebuilding effort and our series on where we were at one year ago. We also include our three-part Wildfire Resource Center, still handy as we approach the late summer/early fall fire season.

On Sunday, Wallace Baine, having endured his own recent fire scare, puts our collective experience into perspective.

As thunder crackles anew, we mark the second anniversary of the CZU fires

The fires destroyed more than 900 homes and changed many lives around Santa Cruz County. And the rebuilding efforts have been halting and tough. We look back and the people and issues we’ve covered, even as we look ahead.

LOOKOUT’S CZU COVERAGE

Personal stories

Rebuilding

The first anniversary

Big Basin

Unsung heroes

Be prepared

As thunder crackles anew, we mark the second anniversary of the CZU fires

The fires destroyed more than 900 homes and changed many lives around Santa Cruz County. And the rebuilding efforts have been halting and tough. We look back and the people and issues we’ve covered, even as we look ahead.

LOOKOUT’S CZU COVERAGE

Personal stories

Santa Cruz native Scott Ordway will be on hand July 29 when the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music presents the...

Gina Lund, like so many others around Santa Cruz County, saw her life and community changed by the 2020 fires. She has...

After facing the CZU fire last year and navigating COVID-19 restrictions, owners of Christmas tree farms are welcoming...

Rebuilding

Last week, the county launched a CZU recovery dashboard, providing basic data about the rebuilding process. While county...

With building costs up 20-30% from pre-pandemic levels, red tape, updated building codes, construction price...

As more families in the Santa Cruz Mountains begin the rebuilding process nearly two years after losing their homes in...

The first anniversary

Lookout checks in on how the recovery effort is going in Santa Cruz County: In a multi-part series, we talk to the folks...

Big Basin

The beloved state park in the Santa Cruz Mountains was radically reshaped by the 2020 CZU Complex fire, beginning its...

The stark, straightforward “Big Basin Will Never Be The Same” uses side-by-side film of Eric Parson’s favorite trail run...

Unsung heroes

Through the pandemic and the CZU fire, yoga studio owner Juko Holiday prioritized her clients through the community and...

No one could prepare volunteer fire captain Renee Fenker for what it would be like defending the San Lorenzo Valley area...

Be prepared

Lookout Santa Cruz’s Wildfire Resource Center is a one-stop guide to everything you need to keep your family and...

Forecasters say portions of California could get a break this wildfire season, but at lower elevations the outlook is...