Santa Cruz Mountains residents still recovering from the CZU wildfires face a new looming crisis as the FAIR Plan — California’s fire insurer of last resort — proposes rate increases as high as 50% for homeowners in some fire-prone areas. That has left many residents fearing they can no longer afford to stay.
CZU fire, five years later
A Lookout series on the aftermath of the ruinous CZU Lightning Complex fire that swept through Santa Cruz County in 2020.
Posted inBonny Doon / Davenport
The Renegades saved homes during CZU. Five years later, emergency responders still call it the wrong move.
Five years after the CZU fire, “The Renegades” of Bonny Doon are remembered as both heroes and cautionary tales — neighbors who defied evacuation orders to fight flames themselves, saving homes but igniting a debate over the risk of staying back.
Posted inSan Lorenzo Valley
Santa Cruz Mountains housing market is still popular post-CZU — but buyers face new difficulties
Despite the destruction the CZU fires brought to the Santa Cruz Mountains, prospective homebuyers continue to look in part due to better value for price. But anxious memories are making some think twice, while insurance uncertainty makes purchasing there a bigger gamble than before the fire.
Posted inFood & Drink
From fire to fallout: CZU’s lasting impact on Santa Cruz County’s wine industry
When the CZU Lightning Complex fires tore through the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2020, vineyards survived the flames, but smoke taint ruined much of the harvest, forcing winemakers to dump spoiled wine and experiment with new styles like rosé and white pinot noir.
Posted inVisual Story
CZU then and now, in photos: From fire’s devastation, a picture of resilience in Santa Cruz Mountains
Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud describes what he saw in the days and weeks after the CZU Lightning Complex fire ignited in 2020 and the resilience of Santa Cruz Mountains communities in the five years since.
Posted inLatest News
Big Basin’s second act will center on its defining characteristic — resiliency
Five years on from the CZU fires, efforts to rebuild Big Basin Redwoods State Park in a sustainable and resilient way will bring many of the same amenities back to the area, while honoring its past life before the fires and celebrating the park’s new incarnation.
Posted inEducation
Ben Lomond’s Alba Schoolhouse delisted as historic landmark, but rebuilding efforts continue
The historic Alba Schoolhouse in Ben Lomond was officially delisted from the county’s landmark inventory this week, but a dedicated group of volunteers is pushing forward with long-term plans to rebuild what was lost in the 2020 CZU fire.
Posted inEducation
Five years after CZU, Bonny Doon Elementary lost students, but found a renewed purpose in healing
Five years after narrowly escaping the CZU fires, Bonny Doon Elementary has transformed from a small mountain school into a vital community anchor. Despite falling enrollment, the school expanded mental health services and created new programs to help students and families heal from dual traumas of wildfire and pandemic isolation.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
A Boulder Creek tech startup is using drones and AI to detect the next big wildfire
Ember Flash Aerospace is developing and testing an AI-powered system of sensors, cameras and drones aimed at taming California’s intensifying fire seasons, an effort that grew from regular meetings of a group of Boulder Creek residents in the aftermath of the CZU fire.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Loving fire with fire: Humor, horniness and happiness inhabit post-CZU film
Well-known performance artists and filmmakers Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens interpret their close encounter with the 2020 CZU fire with a new taboo-busting film that puts the fires into the context of “ecosexuality.”