NEVADA/MARIPOSA COUNTIES, Calif. July 19, 2017 – Yesterday in the very early morning hours a strike team of local engines left for the Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County. The strike team is composed of engines from local fire departments:
Brush 57 Peardale/Chicago Park
Engine 52 Ophir
Brush 23 Higgins
Brush 29 Consolidated Fire
Engine 5464 Nevada City and led by Chief 5700 Peardale/Chicago Park.
Peardale/Chicago Park PIO Daniel Ramey shared the video snippets as the strike team was coming off their shift and provided an update. The strike team was first tasked with holding contingency lines, then was assigned to structure protection. Ramey stated they successfully defended 12 homes from the oncoming fire, burning out ahead of the fire and creating a fuel-free zone around the homes. They also contained a 12-acre spot fire on the south side of the fire, as the fire was spotting across Hwy 49. “We worked right under the DC 10 during the day and did a lot of line building, but the real test came around 3 am this morning,” Ramey said
Erratic winds at nighttime are rare and in prior years fire behavior always moderated greatly overnight – the fire would “lay down.” Now large fires continue to burn actively throughout the night more often than not.
The local strike team is assigned to Division J on the fire, at the southern head of the fire.
Local firefighters are routinely on assignment on large fires throughout the state through Mutual Aid agreements. Federal, state, local paid and volunteer firefighters work side by side to save homes and contain wildfires – thank them next time you see any of them.
