New management team takes over Soberanes fire
The California Interagency Incident Management Team is moving out and the Central Coast Team is moving into Toro Park. They’re learning the ropes to take over containing the Soberanes wildfire.
“We’re pretty much shadowing the other team, the outgoing team,” said Victor Gutierrez with the Central Coast Interagency Incident Management Team.
The new team is learning everything from how to communicate with the public to tactics being used on the fire line.
“We want to be here the shortest amount of time if its only 2 or 3 days because of a freak rain comes in that’s even better for everybody,” said Gutierrez.
The Central Coast Team is made up of firefighters and experts from as far away as southern California to locals coming from the Los Padres National Forest.
“A lot of the team members have fought many fires in this area,” said Gutierrez. “Most of them have lived and worked in this area so that’s an advantage.”
The Central Coast is the fifth team to manage the Soberanes fire. Officials said this many changes is uncommon, it shows how difficult it’s been to put out this blaze.
“When you’ve been in a persistent four of five year drought that’s just what happens,” said Kale Casey with the California Interagency Incident Management Team. “I mean we’ve thrown everything we can at this. Thrown a lot of tough, smart firefighting. A lot of blood sweat and tears and here it is day 69 and we still have people pounding it every single day.”
In the last few weeks firefighters have been able to make good headway on the inferno, sparked by an illegal campfire.
“‘Our containment has gone up a lot because we have a lot of firefighters directly along the fire line doing what we call hot spotting a mopping up,” said Casey.
Upcoming cool weather trends will also work in their favor.
“Because it allows our firefighters to get closer to the heat, go on the search and destroy missions, and really take that heat out of the fire,” said Casey.
The Central Coast Team will take over the fire Thursday at 7 a.m.
