Cal Poly ‘Surf House’ damaged in fire, displacing one student. Here’s how to help
For 13 years, a home in San Luis Obispo has embodied community for some local surfers.
The front part of the Olive Street house, known by members of the Cal Poly Surf Team as “Surf House,” was damaged in an early morning fire on June 29, displacing one resident.
The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department received a call about the blaze around 3:40 a.m. that day, according to emergency response application PulsePoint.
By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the front part of the home was “heavily involved” in the blaze, SLO City Fire said via Twitter.
Photos and video showed the roof engulfed in flames with smoke pouring out of the front door.
After the fire, heartfelt condolences poured in social media as former residents and Surf Team members shared their memories of Surf House.
“We are not going anywhere and our team will only be stronger because of this,” the Cal Poly Surf Team wrote in a July 1 Instagram post.
“It honestly felt like I lost an old friend,” former Cal Poly Surf Team president Adam Redding-Kaufman said.
Redding-Kaufman, who graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2016, lived at the Surf House for two and a half years.
He said the Olive Street lot includes two houses, with nine bedrooms in total.
According to Redding-Kaufman, a typical weekend for members of the Cal Poly Surf Team in 2016 included catching waves from morning to night, and hanging out at Surf House through the evening.
“That house represented a sense of community to a lot of people on the team,” said Redding-Kaufman, noting that it has been a home for some Surf Team members and a hangout spot for others.
It has also served as “a huge resource for younger members of the team,” Redding-Kaufman said, explaining that Surf Team members typically provide rides to meets or movies for freshmen, who are not allowed to bring cars on campus.
On June 30, Amanda McDonald started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Cal Poly wine and viticulture senior Luke “Squirrel” Hartman, who was displaced when “the front part of Surf House burned to a crisp.”
“Luckily everyone is completely safe — but I would love to show some support for Squirrel,” McDonald, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He lost everything in the fire and could really use our help!”
As of Sunday, the fundraiser had raised $4,250 toward a goal of $5,000.
To donate, go to gofund.me/395780d2.
Tryouts for the Cal Poly Surf Team will be held in the fall, the team said on Instagram.
This story was originally published July 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
