Survivors continue to rebuild 1 year after the CZU Lightning Complex burned the Santa Cruz mountains
By Phil Gomez
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BOULDER CREEK, California (KSBW) — It’s been a year since the CZU Lightning Complex ripped through San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.
The fire complex grew into the most destructive fire in the history of Santa Cruz County, destroying over 86,500 acres and 1,490 structures.
It’s not much of an anniversary as hundreds continue to work to rebuild and move forward with their lives.
The storm that sparked the fire produced a beautiful visual, dropping lightning flashes over the Monterey Bay. Further inland though, those veins of lightning were beginning to ignite.
“It was pretty crazy! Originally we did not anticipate the volume of lightning that we received,” San Mateo-Santa Cruz County Unit Chief Ian Larkin said.
There were thousands of strikes identified on a Cal Fire and the lightning strikes didn’t stop for 24 hours.
Twenty-seven fires sparked in remote areas of the forest, crews contained all but five, then the wind kicked up.
“Our helicopter at the Alma Heli-tack base on Highway 17, tried to lift and hit the ridge-line and had to set down back down because it was to windy for them to fly,” Larkin said.
Chuck and Debbie Teixeira’s home was destroyed in the CZU fire.
Only a handful of homes survived the fire along Broadmoor Drive in Boulder Creek.
The couple feels fortunate that their new home could be completed by next year.
“It’s been the hardest year ever. It feels both incredibly long and short at the same time. It’s so bizarre to think in a year this is where we’re at. It doesn’t feel near good enough at the onset you actually have no idea how long it’s going to take,” Chuck Teixeira said.
Hallie Green works at the Boulder Creek Recreation Department. She’s also involved with the Long Term Recovery Group which is made up of several non-profits helping fire survivors who lost homes in the fire.
She also lost her home in the fire.
“As you mention some people are at the year mark, recognizing they haven’t started building. They don’t have a permit. They still haven’t finished their insurance and that can be overwhelming,” Green said.
Now, a year after the fire started, there was no gathering or celebration but by midweek the community is holding an event called “Coming Together A Year Later.” It’ll happen Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary. It’ll be held at the Brookdale Lodge beginning at 6 p.m.
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