How 8,000 Firefighters are Battling the Thomas Fire
Right now, California is facing what is likely to become the largest fire in the state’s history. For three weeks now, the Thomas Fire has been raging in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and has burned over 270,000 acres and over 1,000 homes and buildings. As of Tuesday, it continues to burn and is only fifty percent contained.
Over 8,000 firefighters have been mobilized to fight the Thomas Fire, the largest response to a wildfire in California’s history. One firefighter has been killed and two others have been injured fighting the blaze which began on December 4th. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) Engineer Cory Iverson, 32, was killed on December 14th on the fire’s eastern flank. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter.
Wildland firefighters face a unique and arduous challenge when battling wildfires; the task is much different than battling the structure fires encountered by firefighters in cities and suburbs across the United States. Wildfires constantly evolve due to changing weather conditions and can even create their own weather systems, becoming firestorms. This forces fire crews to constantly deploy and redeploy based on changes in conditions and creates a logistical challenge as wildfires occupy such large areas.
The most obvious course of action for fighting a fire is the one that everyone knows about, putting water on the fire. While this is part of the battle in a wildfire, it is only a small portion of what fire crews are doing on the front lines.
Slowing the fire’s growth is key and the creation of “fire lines” is critical to clearing vegetation that could fuel the fire. Also known as firebreaks, they may occur naturally in the form of rivers and lakes or can be man-made, such as roads. Firefighters use chainsaws, picks, axes, bulldozers, and plows to create new fire lines by removing deadwood and undergrowth down to mineral soil.
Wildland firefighters face a unique and arduous challenge when battling wildfires; the task is much different than battling the structure fires encountered by firefighters in cities and suburbs across the United States.
There is also air support for the fire crews operating on the ground. Helicopters and planes outfitted with buckets and tanks can drop water directly onto fires or fire retardant ahead of fires. Helicopters can drop their buckets into nearby lakes and pools to fill up and when ready can deliver as much as 800 gallons of water at a time. Larger airplanes with tanks, like the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 can hold up to 12,000 gallons of water or retardant.
One of the more critical roles that fire crews play in battling wildfires is staying ahead of the fire by closely monitoring the weather and constantly adapting and planning accordingly. In the case of the Thomas Fire, fire crews have been faced with unusually strong and sustained winds. This has fueled the fire’s growth and strength, forcing firefighters to move back in some cases as winds have gusted as high as sixty miles per hour.
It’s a daunting task to be on the front lines of terrifyingly large blazes such as the Thomas Fire, and the fire crews battling it have done an extraordinary job in the face of an often overwhelming force. Many will miss Christmas with their families as the fire is expected to continue burning into January and their sacrifice, particularly that of Cory Iverson, is one that we should all keep in mind this holiday season.
