'Ninja Warrior' athlete hopes to return to Paradise after Camp Fire
A born-and-raised Paradise woman rebuilt her life in Sacramento after she was one of thousands of Butte County residents impacted by the state’s most destructive wildfire.
Cheyenne Arrington, 24, was a recent Chico State graduate when she and her family lost their home to the flames of the Camp Fire. Since then, she’s kept busy, working for multiple startups in Sacramento and competing on "American Ninja Warrior."
Her family lives in Chico now, and she said her family bought a trailer, with plans to rebuild both their home and her grandmother’s home from the ground up. It had been a dream of her parents' to design and build a house from scratch, so Arrington considers it somewhat of a blessing.
“Even though it’s a tragedy, I don’t see it as a depressing event,” she said.
Arrington plans to work and live in Sacramento for some time but wants to live in Paradise again when jobs return to the area. She said she misses where her home once was, “a beautiful lot overlooking the canyon” where she used to run and play.
Her childhood memories are enough to draw her back to Paradise for another 10 to 15 years, but Arrington said she would want to live the rest of her days elsewhere.
Arrington said she’s in talks with "American Ninja Warrior" about either competing again or serving as a tester. She’s currently recovering from a fracture on her foot and does not believe she’ll recover in time for December’s competitions.