Read the full article by Ken Magri at Sacramento News & Review
In fall 2021, the Caldor Fire scorched 221,800 acres across the Sierra Nevada and incinerated two-thirds of the El Dorado County town of Grizzly Flats.
While several efforts to replant conifer trees throughout the Caldor burn scar have continued since 2022, rebuilding almost 500 structures destroyed in Grizzly Flats is more challenging due to high construction costs and restrictive county codes. But a new ordinance gives residents hope of moving out of their camper-trailers and into houses they built themselves.
In May, El Dorado County Board of Supervisors passed an owner-built ordinance that allows uninsured wildfire victims in Grizzly Flats, Fresh Pond and Volcanoville to build tiny houses without costly permits and building fees. The ordinance gives lot-owners latitude in designing homes specific to their area’s needs by using reclaimed lumber from their own land. It also approved wood stoves and generator-provided electricity, common needs in the Sierra.