5 years after Caldor Fire, Grizzly Flats residents celebrate project to rebuild homes
Grizzly Flats residents welcomed a new program Wednesday expected to bring 12 homes to their community, with six planned for construction this year. The effort comes nearly five years after the Caldor Fire destroyed much of the area.
“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,’” El Dorado County Planning and Building Director Karen Garner said. “That didn’t happen. It’s a lot harder and bigger struggle than you could ever imagine.”
The program is a partnership between HomeAid Sacramento and El Dorado County to build 12 Title 25 rural dwelling homes — which modifies coding requirements — each with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The total cost per home was about $146,000, with costs split between HomeAid Sacramento and developer fees collected by the county.
“(This project) is gonna be a great thing for residents there to build for the residents there to be able to build 12 (homes), and hopefully we can get enough money raised to build the other 13,” El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo said.
The 12 homes come as about 785 Grizzly Flats homes were destroyed by the 18th most-destructive wildfire in modern state history. Nearly 600 of those were primary residences, according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The Caldor Fire ignited Aug. 14, 2021, in Grizzly Flats and rapidly tore through the rural community, destroying much of the town in its initial spread. Fueled by dry conditions and wind, the blaze pushed east along Highway 50 toward the Lake Tahoe Basin.
At its peak, the fire displaced tens of thousands of residents across El Dorado County, including the full evacuation of South Lake Tahoe. Residents fled as ash fell and smoke darkened the sky, many leaving with little notice as flames approached homes and neighborhoods.
The fire ultimately burned more than 221,000 acres and destroyed 1,003 structures across the region, most of them in Grizzly Flats and along the Highway 50 corridor. According to Cal Fire, it ranks as the 16th largest wildfire in modern state history.
Although containment took more than two months, the damage reshaped the community. Many homes were reduced to ash, forcing residents into temporary housing, long-term rentals or out of the area. Others returned to properties without basic infrastructure, facing a costly and complex rebuilding process.
Many residents who returned to Grizzly Flats live on their land in recreational vehicles. As of mid-April, about 70 building permits for homes in Grizzly Flats had been finalized, according to county data.
Rebuilding was further complicated by the lack of individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA approved funding to reimburse the state for firefighting costs but denied aid for residents who lost homes and businesses. The agency said the damage was not of sufficient severity to qualify for individual assistance, a decision that drew criticism from local officials and fire survivors.
El Dorado County and the state appealed the decision multiple times without success. Residents and elected leaders urged federal officials during the Biden administration to reconsider, noting that similar disasters had received aid to help cover housing, repairs and other recovery costs.
“I’ve not given up on that part,” Turnboo said Wednesday. “I’m still fighting for the individual assistance.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 7:05 PM.
