The CZU Lightning Complex in the Santa Cruz Mountains caused a visible increase in the number of homeless in the city, as many relocated from encampments in the woods.
Camps were cleared as firefighters stepped in to fight the CZU blaze.
One man told KCBS Radio he was chased out of his camp and is now in a tent in the city of Santa Cruz.
“I was kind of stretching it out, hoping that it wouldn’t really happen,” he added.
A long line of tents has popped up at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 9.
Jeremiah was one of those camping at the intersection.
“I’ve noticed a lot more RVs,” he told KCBS Radio. “I’ve noticed that the hotels are all maxed out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.”
Many KCBS Radio spoke with said they don’t know when they’ll be able to return to the woods, and they left all their belongings behind.
As of Friday, there are no plans to clear out the homeless encampment.
City officials said the land actually belongs to Caltrans.
The CZU Lightning Complex was fully contained on Sept. 22, according to CAL FIRE.
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