Watch: Nonprofit shares video of fire damage to Big Basin Redwoods State Park
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Three months ago, the CZU Lightning Complex started burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties, and one of the areas that was "extensively damaged" as a result was Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
State Parks said Big Basin's park headquarters, historic core and campgrounds were all damaged and campers, visitors and staff were evacuated. It is closed until further notice.
When Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the park during the fire, Cal Fire said the area has not seen a fire of that scale for about 500 years, and State Parks estimated that it could be at least a year before the park reopens to the public.
Many of the redwood trees survived the fire, but some were weakened.
Now the Save the Redwoods League has released new video showing the damage to the park.
"It's been about three months since fire swept through Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and we thought we'd check in on this remarkable coast redwood forest. As we've discussed, most of the redwoods will be OK. In the video, you can see the famed Mother of the Forest Tree, charred but still living and surviving. In all, fascinating to see a resilient forest evolve," the organization said in a social media post.
The fire was contained on Sept. 22 at 86,509 acres. It destroyed 1,490 structures, and many of those were homes in Santa Cruz County. One person died in the Last Chance area.
