Caw Caw Fire & Flood....

Quick update on Caw Caw; as you may know, we had a fire in the Interpretive Center, main building on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. We were closed in response to Tropical Storm Debby. Our motion sensor alarm went off and the Manager, Dennis Burgart responded. He saw the smoke and notified the fire department who arrived and quickly extinguished the fire.

It was in the back corner of the main building, near the emergency exit and television. There was minimal structural damage, but the smoke was pervasive. All of the gift shop merchandise and all of the exhibits are a total loss. The offices in the back were also smoke damaged and efforts are ongoing to clean these items or replace them if they won’t clean sufficiently.

The photo shows the view from the front door. Even the carpet is gone now. Waiting for a brand new look.

Also, the TS Debby dumped a lot of water on the park and surrounding area. The trails were flooded and boardwalks under water for about 3 weeks.

Today, we are making the best of our situation. We have set up the reception area inside the outdoor classroom, between the inside classroom and the restrooms. Efforts have begun to update the exhibits. They were over 20 years old and we knew a remodel was needed. It just came sooner than planned. All of our trails are open and the maintenance staff work hard to keep everything looking good.

Come on in and check out Caw Caw.