‘We just had to get home’: the Californians who rebuild despite the danger of wildfires
Legend has it that enough wildfires have blown through the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains over the centuries, that patrons of the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland would just shut the bar’s giant namesake whenever the flames came close, and continue drinking.
In a state shaped by catastrophe, devastation is as much a part of its folklore as its natural beauty. Resilience is a character in these stories, not just a trait. Every year as the hillsides burn, locals recall how California’s native people once painted with flames and used smoke to cool the heat.
But as the climate crisis and decades of bad environmental policies give way to more massive and destructive fires than ever before, the tales of grit at times feel more grim than endearing.
Californians who lost properties in past fires spoke to the Guardian about their decision to stay and rebuild. They talked about the meaning of home and community, of trauma and the challenges of having to start over. “There was never any doubt in our mind,” said Jill Richardson, 65, who lost her family’s Santa Rosa home in the 2017 Tubbs fire. “We just knew we had to get home.”
Many acknowledged the circumstances that allowed them to rebuild: the insurance companies willing to work
