Local fire agencies answer the call as state resources stretched thin

There are 18 fires burning in California right now, with more than 12,000 firefighters on the front lines. 240,000 acres have burned and more than 1,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. State fire resources are being stretched thin and many local agencies are sending crews to help in the firefight.

Santa Cruz fire agencies sent a strike team to battle the Cranston Fire burning in Riverside County. Salinas Fire also has personnel there. Marina and Monterey Fire have each sent a line EMT to respond to medical needs of fire personnel. Both also have crews at the Cranston and Mendocino Complex Fires. North Monterey County Fire Protection District and Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District both have crews at the Mendocino Fire.

“Resources are at a premium and what happens when you get into situations like this, they prioritize the fires throughout the state and so as resources become available, they move them to the fires with the most priority,” said Chief Rick Hutchinson with North County Fire Protection District.

Salinas resident Brian Contreras was visiting his mother on Friday when the River and Ranch Fires broke out. The two fires make up the Mendocino Complex, which has already burned nearly 56,000 acres and destroyed six structures.

His mother’s home, near Upper Lake, was put under an evacuation advisory. Because of her age, he took no chances and just evacuated her.

“We packed up all of her valuables that we could and just put them in the back of the car and that’s a lot of years’ worth of pictures and we couldn’t take everything,” Contreras said.

They want to come back to Salinas, because where they are in Clearlake, the air is smoky and light ash is falling like snow.