Community Stories

The Resiliency Fund is committed to honoring the historical legacy of the Central Sierra region by collecting community stories of the Creek Fire–and the unique histories that precede it– and preserving those stories through the Central Sierra Historical Society.

We are collecting stories of places before and after the Creek Fire, and/or of your experience during the Fire itself.

Cheri Deaton

I live four miles out on Petersen road, as the crow flies, right below Cressman’s on the same mountain. We have lived there for 30 years. We had a ranch built up with a two story house, a two story barn.

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Phyliss Randt

Friday before the evacuation I noticed some smoke, didn’t think much of it. Saturday was a little worse, didn’t think much of it. Sunday a Sheriff came by and said, “Hey, we’re gonna be chasing you out real soon.”

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Meg Tallberg

This is a story about a “little” spot in the forest during and immediately after the Creek Fire. We live just off of 168 below Ockenden & we have a “game” camera strapped to a tree on the corner of our property.

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James Parr

Stories from James Parr–Chief for Pine Ridge Volunteer Fire Dept. and Assistant Chief for Shaver Lake Volunteer Fire Dept. He is now the chief for both fire departments.

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Signs of Gratitude

Roadside signs abound encouraging residents and thanking the first responders for their efforts during the Creek Fire. (If you have  photos you’d like to add to this collection please submit them via the form on the Storytelling page!)

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Jean Larsen

Those of us who live in the mountains of California are always aware that it can happen – – and undoubtedly will happen, sometime – – (but it surely won’t happen to us.)It did happen!!We were among the lucky ones.

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Mariah Colbert

I just wanted to make this because Avalon meant a lot to me and I know it did to you as well. The Cabin played a huge role in my childhood and I didn’t realize how much I appreciated the place.

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Gary Colbert

Gary A. Colbert | Cressman Road 9-9-2020 In the 1980s my parents bought an empty plot of land near Shaver Lake. With their own hands, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and with some help from a community, they built something really magical. It became our family compound. A

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Victoria Bell

It was Aunt El’s birthday. She was driving up from San Diego to Grandma Ellen’s cabin on Dowville East, the cabin that had been home to us for the last two months. “Us” is my husband, Nick, myself, and my two boys, James and Luke, our sweet mountain toddlers-in-training.

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Jan Russell Hobbs

Jan Russell Hobbs | Huntington Lake 3-16-21 It was the morning of Saturday, September 5th, 2020. Our thoughts for the day ahead were full of beach time, sitting on the porch, and enjoying the company of good friends. As I went down the stairs, I could smell smoke. My friend said

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Rosemary Zettler

We built our first cabin in 1972 in Sierra Cedars. Having fallen in love with the area we built a larger resident-like cabin on Littlefield Road in Meadow Ridge in 1980.

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Mark Martinez

Mark Martinez | Fresno Fire Department 3-12-21 My name is Mark Martinez. I am a Fire Captain with the Fresno Fire Department – entering my 28th year. Although our duty to serve and do our best work does not differ from incident to incident – the Creek Fire meant so much

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