Santa Cruz County's Big Basin 'As We Have Known It ... Is Gone'

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The wildfires that have chewed through 50,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains area have claimed much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

"We are devastated to report that Big Basin, as we have known it, loved it, and cherished it for generations, is gone," wrote local preservationist group Sempervirens Fund, which was founded to advocate for the preservation of the redwoods in the area now known as the 18,000-acre Big Basin park. "Early reports are that the wildfire has consumed much of the park's historic facilities. We do not yet know the fate of the park's grandest oldest trees."

Big Basin's buildings including its headquarters, nature center and campgrounds have been destroyed by flames, Bay Area News Group reported. Some trees have been blackened by flames and other old-growth redwoods near the headquarters have fallen, the paper reported.

The park indefinitely closed Wednesday, according to California State Parks.

Big Basin, established in 1902, is the oldest park in California's state park system. It's revered by nature lovers for its 1,000- to 1,800-year-old redwoods — some of which may be older than the Roman Empire — and more than 80 miles of trails, according to California State Parks.

Big Basin was known as the park with the largest zone of ancient coastal redwoods below San Francisco, with numerous waterfalls, slopes and canyon bottoms, according to California State Parks.

The Sempervirens Fund called wildfires "the tragic manifestation of our global climate crisis."

Hundreds of wildfires ravaging the Golden State had claimed five lives and 771,000 acres as of Friday morning.

Some 64,000 people have fled areas near the Santa Cruz Mountains fires as officials issue evacuation orders, Cal Fire said Friday morning. At least 50 buildings have been destroyed. That number is expected to rise.

CZU Lightning Complex Fires: Cal Fire Urges Residents To Evacuate

"We feel like we have lost an old friend. And we imagine that many of you will feel the same way," the Sempervirens Fund wrote. "For millions of people, Big Basin is the place where they first experienced the majesty of the redwoods—where they were humbled and inspired standing amidst a grove of towering trees that have stood resolute for thousands of years."

"Those memories will live on."

Read the Sempervirens Fund's full post here.