Five Years Later

The Camp Fire and the California Fire Foundation

On November 8th, 2018, the Camp Fire broke out in Butte County and quickly became the deadliest and most destructive fire on record for California. Tragically, 85 people lost their lives, over 153,000 acres burned, and more than 18,800 structures were destroyed.

News of the fire reached CPF during the Fall 3rd and 4th District Meetings in Sacramento. Local leaders stepped away from the meeting to head to Paradise, and the California Fire Foundation mobilized without hesitation and sent CPF and Foundation leadership to the affected area to assess the needs of the community directly.

In conjunction with other local and national disaster relief organizations, the Foundation distributed aid through the Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program at the Chico Resource Center. Because of the tremendous amount of support the California Fire Foundation received, roughly 10,000 SAVE cards were distributed – providing about $2.5 million in immediate short-term financial relief for families needing clothes, medicine, or a hotel.

One of the top priorities was providing support to members on the frontlines. Forty-seven firefighters lost their homes during the Camp Fire, and many more spent weeks away from their families to help in the search, rescue, and recovery efforts. The Benevolent Fund was established to support firefighters impacted by fire or natural disaster and for those injured or killed in the line of duty.

Then Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom joined the effort to support Paradise and prioritized the needs of the affected community. The California Rises Concert, in lieu of the traditional “Governor’s Ball”, raised money for the California Fire Foundation. Those funds were distributed through grants to community-based organizations working on recovery efforts in Paradise.

“We couldn’t have helped the firefighters, first responders and families we helped without the support of the California Fire Foundation,” said Woody Faircloth of EmergencyRV.

The community of Paradise is still in the midst of recovering from the Camp Fire, and the California Fire Foundation is committed to supporting the community in their recovery and to helping any community in California impacted by the devastating effects of wildfires or other disasters. Because of the framework built during the Camp Fire, the California Fire Foundation has expanded its philanthropy efforts to help communities across the state impacted by natural disasters and provided support to the community in Lahaina, impacted by the wildfire in Hawaii.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years,” said Rick Martinez, Executive Director of the California Fire Foundation. “The impact that the Camp Fire had on the community, the landscape, and our members will last a lifetime. I’m proud of the work that we did and proud of the members who stepped up when our brothers and sisters in Butte County needed them most. It’s a testament to the power of solidarity to get us through tough times. My thoughts are with those who lost their homes or their loved ones. We will continue to stand by you as you rebuild.”