Fire tore through the Karuk tribe’s homeland. Many won’t be able to rebuild
Insurers are increasingly wary of serving wildfire-prone areas. Happy Camp residents are struggling to rebuild without it
Disaster came for the small mountain community of Happy Camp, California, on an unseasonably warm morning in September.
The Slater fire raged through the ancestral heart of the Karuk tribe in the Klamath Mountains near the Oregon border on 8 September. The tribe, known for its deep knowledge of cultural burning and forest management, saw almost 200 homes in the community of 1,000 go up in flames.
Related: ‘We just had to get home’: the Californians who rebuild despite the danger of wildfires
My life, my whole life, my whole life’s savings, everything I’ve ever worked for was right there on that ranch
People in this community have always had to figure out what to do with what they had and survive
