Campgrounds full in wake of Whittier Fire fight

A county parks operations manager said Cachuma Lake Recreation Area looked like a zombie apocalypse movie set after campers evacuated during the Whittier Fire.

For the second weekend in a row campers are back.

They are enjoying everything the campground has to offer, including the pool, the lake and the camp store.

The Cachuma Lake Store’s Assistant Manager Roxanne Randall said campers are returning to buy ice, firewood and more.

She said they lost about 10 days of sales.

“We are happy to be open. It is nice to have our people back,” said Randall.

A sign posted at the entrance of the campground shows it is full.

Jack Seal of Thousand Oaks said, “We knew the fire was here, we had already reserved our campground, our campsite, we were keeping an eye on it. I know it burned a little bit of the campground, but the rest of it looks great.”

Some of the campers arriving on Friday didn’t know about the 18,430 acre Whittier Fire until they saw the ashes along Highway 154.

Most of the campers made reservations months ago.

Reservations may be made by visiting www.sbparks.org or calling (805)568-2460.