Boulder Creek camp struggling to rebuild after wildfire gets hit by destructive thieves
BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- A camp for people with disabilities in Boulder Creek is having to deal with another heartbreak just months after their beloved properties burned to the ground in the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires. Last week, they were burglarized and vandalized costing the owners time and money they don't have.
"You know, the fire was a natural disaster. We couldn't blame anybody," Alex Krem, chairman at Camp Krem, said. "The robbery was very different. They just saw money in their pocket and a chance to kick us around. And that's hard to swallow."
A generator worth more than $10,000 was stolen -- the make and model are Multiquip DCA-25SSIU3 with serial number 7111645.
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Five vans on the property were damaged. The gas was siphoned off, the insides ransacked and the windows smashed out.
"To break out the windows, that was mean, that was unnecessary. I cannot find a place in my heart to understand," said Krem.
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Krem discovered the theft happened a week ago. The camp is still abandoned. It was October when ABC7 News visited Camp Krem after the CZU fires burned 30 of their buildings to the ground. For the staff and owners, every bit of energy has been put into the rebuild, with no room for another heartbreak.
"It's just that our reserves of optimism are tapped," said Krem.
Optimism tapped, but not their resolve. Krem and his team are motivated by the happy memories of Camp Krem, hosting so many adults and children with intellectual disabilities since 1957.
Their focus remains on fundraising. They will take all the help they can get.
"Money is nice, labor is nice. The more that we have donated to us, the less money we need."
Right now, that's about $5 million and years of rebuilding. The theft was one more setback. Police are still investigating the case.
If you want to help Camp Krem, visit their fundraising page.
