By Raiza Giorgi

Wildfire brings devastation, but out of the ashes can grow new life.

This is the 52nd year for the Boy Scouts at the 213-acre camp off Highway 154 across from Lake Cachuma.
Photo contributed

That’s exactly what the Boy Scouts of America’s Los Padres Council is planning to do with its Rancho Alegre camp and Outdoor School, where more than 90 percent of the structures were lost to the Whittier Fire on July 8.

“Even though we lost our structures we didn’t lose any lives, and that’s the most important thing. If the fire had been either 24 hours earlier or later, this might be a different story,” said Carlos Cortez, executive director of the Boy Scouts council.

That Saturday morning, just a few hours before the fire broke out, a group of younger Scouts left the camp. The next day, another round of older scouts were due to arrive.

“We did have staff that lived at the camp, but luckily most of them have other houses to stay or family nearby to be with. No one is without a shelter,” Cortez said.

“As soon as we can, we want to start rebuilding. We want to hit this hard and hopefully get camp going again next summer,” he added.

This is the 52^nd year for the Boy Scouts at the 213-acre camp off Highway 154 across from Lake Cachuma. Activities and education there included swimming, rowing, campfires, archery, star gazing, hiking, crafts, camping skills, and lessons about animals and plants, among others.

A group of Outdoor School students learn about the different animals found in the area near Rancho Alegre.
Photo contributed

The Outdoor School that also uses the camp serves more than 4,000 fifth-grade and sixth-grade students each year, hosting day trips and overnight programs. Some schools spend multiple days using the outdoor education program, which is geared toward nurturing community and environmental stewardship.

The only buildings spared from the Whittier Fire were the dining hall, the pool area, the barbecue building and a small cabin; 27 structures were destroyed.

A week after the fire swept through, Cortez said, he hadn’t yet been allowed to return to assess the damage fully, because the fire-weakened trees were still dropping limbs.

“We are insured, and hopefully most of the costs of rebuilding will be covered, but we are really thankful to the community for stepping up and wanting to help us,” Cortez said.

With most of their buildings lost, Cortez said, this is the time to make the camp facilities even better than they were before.

“We want to include more ‘green’ practices, like installing solar panels and finding other ways to be more environmentally friendly. It’s really a blank canvas, and we want to make the science center even better with a lab for testing and analyzing data,” he said.

His enthusiasm spreads beyond the Boy Scouts to the Outdoor School, which he wants to have more community involvement and family use.

“Of course I’ve gotten tons of phone calls from our Scouting community to pitch in and get dirty,” he said. “They are excited to rebuild.”

Cortez said he welcomes a conversation with anyone who has ideas to rebuild the camp. He can be reached at carlos.cortez@scouting.org.

Los Padres Council is a recognized 501(c)(3) charity, so financial contributions are tax-deductible. For more information log onto www.lpcbsa.org/whittier-fire-reconstruction/66430.

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By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer

The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre was mostly destroyed by the Whittier Fire Saturday,

The Whittier Fire engulfs a Rancho Alegre building in flames Saturday July 8. Photo by Ray Ford/Noozhawk Photo

which burned along the Highway 154 corridor and caused mass evacuations of campers and residents.

Most of the Rancho Alegre buildings reportedly burned to the ground, except for the main dining room.

The site is the home of the Boy Scouts of America, Los Padres Council and this year marks the 52nd year that the scouts have been camping at Rancho Alegre.

Summer camp was scheduled to start on Monday, but has obviously been canceled, said Los Padres Council leaders.

“We are in the process of notifying those planning to attend this camp and are helping make alternative arrangements,”  said Carlos Cortez, scout executive for the Los Padres Council, in a statement Sunday morning.

“We are thankful that no youth members, adult volunteers or staff were harmed,” he said.

Rancho Alegre, at 2680 Highway 154, had fewer than 10 people on the property at the start of the fire, which consisted of permanent year-round staff and three youth camp staff members.

They were evacuated to the Santa Barbara Scout Office where one of the parents picked them up and transported all to their homes in Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and Morro Bay, according to the group’s website.

The Whittier Fire erupted around 1:40 p.m. Saturday near Camp Whittier, at 2400 Highway 154, and may have been sparked by a car fire, according to the California Highway Patrol.

As of Sunday morning, the fire burned 7,800 acres near Lake Cachuma in the Santa Ynez Valley and prompted evacuations along the Highway 154 corridor, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Containment was estimated at 5 percent.

Flames and smoke have been visible throughout Goleta and Santa Barbara, drawing crowds of onlookers and spectacular burnt-orange sunsets.

Cortez planned to head to Rancho Alegre later on Sunday to try to assess the specific amount of damage.

“While we are still assessing the effects on the property, we greatly appreciate our first responders for keeping our community safe.”

“To the best of our knowledge we have lost 90 percent of our structures,” Cortez said.

As of Sunday, the Los Padres Forest Service reported 20 structures had been destroyed and 150 were threatened by the Whittier Fire.

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com.

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