People in this California town didn't have much. Then fire took it away

At the Motel 6 in Oroville, California, evacuees from Berry Creek and other areas affected by the North Complex fires are staying with the assistance of the Red Cross. Kristal Buchholz of Berry Creek is living in her van at the motel, where her mother has a room. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

BERRY CREEK, Calif. _ Berry Creek has been many things in its long history _ a stagecoach stop, a lumber town, a vacation spot, a gold mining camp. It is home to retirees from crowded, expensive cities, marijuana growers and loners _ lots of loners.

Now, Berry Creek has a new and terrible distinction. When the North Complex West Zone fire swept through this wooded enclave about two weeks ago, it killed more people and destroyed more homes here than anywhere else in its destructive path.

Fire Station 61 burned to the ground. Chief Reed Rankin, who heads the volunteer company, lost his home in the blaze. Only one of the seven current or former firefighters still has a house to go back to when evacuation orders are lifted.

Ben Arnold, left, and Margaret Stewart, both with Los Angeles Fire Department Regional Task Force-9 along with working dog Veya, search rural Butte County for victims of the North Complex fire. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Berry Creek Elementary School is a tangle of charred metal and a single red door. The market is gone. The Guild Hall is a memory, although its cream-colored sign still stands on Bald Rock Road inviting residents to play bingo on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. There were three churches here on Sept. 7. One remains.

The fire claimed 15 lives. Of the 14

In the town of Berry Creek, the North Complex fire destroyed the homestead of Kristal Buchholz, her mother, Kathy Bartley, and her stepfather, a Vietnam veteran who likes the solitude. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Kristal Buchholz looks through donated clothing after her home was destroyed by the North Complex fire, in Oroville, California, on September 17, 2020. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Residents of Berry Creek and the surrounding area attend an emergency community meeting in Oroville, California. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Kristal Buchholz is now staying in her van with her boyfriend, in Oroville, California, on September 17, 2020. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

A charred cat with its whiskers burned off waits for food at a home in Berry Creek, California. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Kathy Bartley and her partner Gary, a Vietnam veteran, attend an emergency community meeting after their home was destroyed by the North Complex fire, in Oroville, California, on September 17, 2020. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Fire Chief Reed Rankin during a moment of silence during an emergency community meeting in Oroville, California. Rankin lost his home in the fire along with Fire Station 61. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)