CSUMB opens campus to firefighters battling the Soberanes Fire

UPDATE 7/26/2016 10:16 PM: Firefighters have been facing tough conditions and after a long day in the heat and rough terrain, having a nice place to sleep makes a difference.

“It’s nice to have clean sheets, a towel and a shower,” said Bennet Milloy, Cal Fire public information officer.

Milloy said Cal Fire reached out to California State University, Monterey Bay, now that almost 3,000 firefighters are working to contain the Soberanes Fire burning south of Carmel.

“We’re extremely grateful to be able to utilize the facility,” said Milloy. “It’s great to be able to cooperate with the campus and college and I know it has to be a burden on them and so we are grateful for that.”

Seventy firefighters are staying at the dorms while others are camping out in large tents.

“We have some summer things going on but the big student population is not affected. We don’t start class until middle of August,” said Ken Folsom, emergency manager at CSUMB.

And firefighters aren’t only sleeping here — they’ve set up work stations, making sure all the fire trucks are working properly.

“They need to be able to have their equipment repaired and be able to get equipment staged in locations where they can bring it into the heavy areas that they need to,” said Folsom.

PG&E has also setup a staging area on campus. Cal Fire officials said this truly is a community effort.

“We can bring in all the firefighters in the world but without the support they can’t do their jobs,” said Milloy.

PREVIOUS: Dozens of firefighters are staying at the dorms, while others are sleeping at camp sites at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Cal Fire reached out to the school for accommodations now that the Soberanes Fire continues to grow.

KION’s Monica Jacquez will have more tonight at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.