Thread: My neighborhood almost got burned on Wednesday [pics]

A small methlab exploded down in the canyon below my house Wednesday and started a wildland fire during red flag conditions. We responded with both of our companies engines as well as CDF's 1782 as we got to the ridgeline all we could see was a thick column of smoke being pushed right at us by 20 mph swirling winds. The engineer on the CDF called out for a major wildland response. Our two County Fire engines were put in charge of structure protection and 1762 headed back out to find a way in to the fire.
The calvary arrived to our location in about twenty minutes. We got a strike team of 7 type one engines giving us 9 engines and 27 fire fighters to protect 100 homes. Meanwhile an strike force of 30 firefighters on 10 engines, 4 14 man fire crews, 2 helicopters, two air tankers an one air attack and two water tenders were inbound to the lower canyon to make a pincer attack.

If the fire got away from us the whole area was going to burn.

two engines and a helo got on scene first then the rest of the gang arrived.
the Helo saved the day by slowing the spread until ground force got into play. The fire made one major run at us but the Air Tankers knocked it down. One fire fighter was critically injured during an air drop when the force of the water dropped a 10" diameter madrone branch 20 feet out of a snag hitting him on the head and back..he was airlifted to a trauma center. they say he will recover.

These are the Photos from my crews vantage point less than 5000 feet from my own home

as of 11:30pm there were still crews on scene doing mop up

On a sad note the next day 11/26, 5 forest service firefighters [doing the same detail as I did on our fire] down in SoCal were over run by flames leaving 4 dead and one fighting for his life with burns over 95% of his body...I feel so sad for them and their families right now

very cool