Camp Fire

Kate Minderhoud sits on a bench flanked in the golden light of autumn trees.

Community Support Drives Camp Fire Survivor and Anthropology Major to Give Back

Artist, anthropology major, and Camp Fire survivor Kate Minderhoud credits two scholarships for helping make her college dreams come true. Next step: grad school.

Colleen Milligan and other members of the Human ID lab stand grimly planning in the lab as they prepare to go out and search for human remains during the Camp Fire.

2023–24 California State Budget Includes Funding for New Human Identification Laboratory at Chico State

The 2023–24 state budget calls for a $3 million allocation to secure bonds that will fund a new facility.

Faculty Ashley Kendell (left) and P. Willey (right) work in the Anthropology Department Human Identification Laboratory.

New Facility for University’s Human Identification Laboratory Included in California State Budget May Revise

Facility will provide critical upgrades for the only full-time forensic anthropology lab in the state to support its investigations, disaster response and law enforcement training.

Lindsey Nenadal, professor in Child Development (CHLD) (left) and Courtney Peria (right) work closely with the Boys and Girls Club of North Valley, focusing on long-term support for families that have been impacted by wildfires.

Professor Pens Wildfire Playbook to Guide Community Preparedness

Lindsey Nenadal spent two years leading the development and publication of a 'Wildfire Playbook' that is now available for download.

Cindy Wolff is backlit by the sun as she stands outside the front of her newly rebuilt home

Camp Fire Survivor Returns to Rebuilt Home and Hope in Butte Creek Canyon

Four years after the Camp Fire, Cindy Wolff is back living in Butte Creek Canyon, in a new home designed with fire in mind.

PARADISE U Helps Elementary Students Rediscover the Joy of Movement

PARADISE U, a physical education program created by kinesiology professor Cathrine Himberg, helps students discover the benefits and joy of movement.

Hands adjust the positioning of a roof on a small wooden model of a home, with the view cast toward the front entrance with a covered porch flanked by large windows.

Interior Architecture Students Design Free Floor Plans for Wildfire Survivors

Under the guidance of interior architecture professor Rouben Mohiuddin, 30 design students have worked on floor plans that have now been used to build more than a dozen homes in the Camp Fire footprint.

Alumna Chooses Nature to Nurture Others

Blake Ellis is at the leading edge of harnessing the natural world’s healing powers—even when that environment itself may trigger anxiety.

Chico State Provost Debra Larson and Mechoopda Chairman Dennis Ramirez sign documents at a table at the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

Ancestral Land in Butte Creek Canyon Returned to the Mechoopda Tribe

In the first agreement of its kind in the state, ownership and management of the 93-acre Butte Creek Ecological Preserve has been transferred from Chico State Enterprises to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe.

A red maple leaf hangs in stark contrast to other green leaves on a tree.

Disaster-Focused Course Prepares Social Workers for the Future

A social work course centered in community healing uses the region's experience with the Camp Fire to educate the disaster case managers of the future.

A rock decor inscribed "Home Sweet Home" is placed at a destroyed home from the Camp Fire along Newman Avenue in Paradise.

Paradise Continues to Rebuild and Evolve Three Years After the Camp Fire

Three years after the Camp Fire scattered the residents of Paradise, the town continues its rebuilding process—while also evolving.

Chase Suihkonen smiles on campus, standing in front of trees transformed with fall colors.

Camp Fire Scholarship Recipient Pays It Forward

After losing his home in the Camp Fire, Chase Suihkonen embraced the opportunity to attend Chico State so he could further his education while staying close to home to help his community recover.

Brandon Wright stands in the foreground of the Honey Run Covered Bridge, which has only pylons standing during this phase of the rebuild.

Construction Management Furthers Contributions to Honey Run Covered Bridge Rebuild

Students and faculty remain a driving force in the rebuild of the Honey Run Covered Bridge, lost to the Camp Fire in 2018.

Cindy Wolff poses for a photo near the rebuild of her home.

‘One Day at a Time’

Five Wildcats Rise Fire Recovery Fund grant recipients share stories of what their journeys have been like since November 8, 2018.

Jenessa Ramirez stands on a lawn outside Kendall Hall.

Camp Fire Survivor Finds Confidence Through a Stranger’s Generosity

Realizing someone she didn't know was rooting for her success empowered Jenessa Ramirez to believe in herself.

Jacque Chase places her hand on a sitting bench and Peter Hansen smiles as they stand among grass and trees.

Mapping Lab Takes Closer Look at Population Displaced by Camp Fire

As a team of Chico State researchers continues to study the initial movements of those displaced by the Camp Fire, as well as where they are now, their findings are revealing.

An image of a sun rises behind a mountain and trees with the numbers 11 and 08 on either side.

Chico State to Join Greater Community in Camp Fire Remembrance

At 11:08 a.m. November 8, the Trinity Hall bells will chime to begin 85 seconds of silence commemorating the 85 lives lost in the Camp Fire, with the bells chiming once again to conclude the remembrance.

Eric Bartlink speaks to a colleague under smoke-filled skies at the command center for Camp Fire response.

Preeminent Anthropologist Earns Honors for Service

An international expert in the recovery of human remains, Eric Bartelink has earned statewide honors for his exemplary dedication and achievements.

A human finger touches a finger sensor on a mechanical finger.

Engineering for a Better Tomorrow

Whether focused on clean drinking water or eliminating single-use plastics, engineering students spent the last year tackling some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Marketing students tackle various marketing-related issues focused on the rebuilding of Paradise after the Camp Fire.

Planning a New Paradise

Marketing graduate students partner with the not-for-profit Rebuild Paradise Foundation to help resolve how to bring businesses and residents back to Paradise.

Engineering an Icon

Students and faculty within the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management are key players in the rebuild of the Honey Run Covered Bridge and adjacent caretaker home.

The sun peers through a canopy of trees on the Chico State campus near the creek.

The Long Process of Healing and Recovery

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Judith Thompson reflects on the immediate and ongoing trauma Camp Fire survivors continue to experience—and how to support healing.

A Camp Fire survivor smiles as she points to details on a large print of a home design while going over it with the student designer.

Reimagining What Home Looks Like

Interior architecture students are designing a series of floor plans to help residents rebuild affordable, fire-resistant homes in the Camp Fire footprint.

Two female college students stand back to back in front of trees.

Feeding a Grieving Community

While recreation administration students volunteer to feed meals for Paradise residents, they're also witnessing a community coming together.

A woman sits next to an art piece made mostly out of house keys.

Phoenix Takes Flight

With help of 14,000 keys representing losses in the Camp Fire, alumna Jess Mercer created a statue she hopes will be both a tribute and an inspiration.

Zada Evans sits on a concrete wall under a canopy of trees.

Wildcats Rising

Three students share how they are moving forward in the wake of the Camp Fire, with support of a Strada Wildcats Rise Scholarship.

After Paradise: One Year Later

In this special episode of “After Paradise,” North State Public Radio commemorates the year anniversary of the Camp Fire by focusing on where we are now and opportunities for growth.

A map of the United States has red dots scattered across it showing where people have relocated after the Camp Fire.

Mapping a Displaced Population

New maps from an interdisciplinary team of researchers begin to reveal the how, why, and where Camp Fire survivors have moved.

Two people sing into microphones as others play instruments behind them on a stage.

Transforming Recovery into Revival

Junior Baylie Hammitt reflects on how she and students in "Special Event Planning and Operation" helped plan, market, and host the Paradise Revival Festival.

Jackson Webster dips a sampling container into Butte Creek.

Water Contamination Goes Under the Microscope

A team of faculty and student researchers is examining the magnitude of water contamination that resulted from the Camp Fire, as well as public health and environmental implications.

A woman stands among dried grass with sunlight peaking through trees behind her.

A Heart for Caring

Senior Brittany Spade's work as the Camp Fire community liaison intern aligns her insatiable drive to help with her aspirations as a recreation administration major.

President Hutchinson sits in her office and speaks on video about the Camp Fire anniversary

From the President: Reflections on the Camp Fire Anniversary

President Gayle Hutchinson reflects on the University's recovery and resilience since the Camp Fire and looks forward to our continued role as a neighbor and partner.

Kelsea Kennedy walks down a path on campus near a pole banner that reads "Today Decides Tomorrow"

‘This Is Not Where It Ends’

With the Camp Fire anniversary approaching, five Wildcat survivors update us in their own words on their ongoing challenges and glimmers of hope.

A woman sits on the outdoor step of her travel trailer.

The Camp Fire’s Forgotten Communities

In chronicling the stories of survivors, the Camp Fire Oral History Project has captured the challenges of recovery among the most rural populations.

Robert Laxson sits at a piano while wearing a tuxedo.

Destroyed Piano Plays on in Student Scholarships

The family of legendary professor C. Robert Laxson donated the insurance payout for a cherished heirloom lost in the Camp Fire to an endowment for music students.

A map of the United States shows South Carolina and Chico connected by a heart in each state and a swirling dotted line between the two.

One Year Later and 3,000 Miles Away

Savannah Anderson (English, '19) reflects on how Chico State's compassion and community in the wake of the Camp Fire are a presence in her life across the country.

Matt Fidler sits at a table with two microphones on the table and two more microphones behind him, and with headphones draped around his neck.

5 Questions with Alumnus Matt Fidler

Matt Fidler (Music, ’01) is a producer at NSPR, and recently produced a five-part podcast series titled "California Burning."

85 Seconds of Silence

President Gayle Hutchinson shares details on the University's participation in a community-wide remembrance of the lives lost in the Camp Fire.

NSPR’s ‘California Burning’ Tracks Wildfire History, Science and Solutions

“California Burning”—a podcast series and five-part radio documentary produced by NSPR—explores the history, science, and solutions to California wildfires.

Artist Discovers Keys to Healing

Community means everything to alum Jess Mercer. So when the Camp Fire destroyed most of hers, she was driven to help, however she could.