County Fire, Pawnee Fire Putting Strain On Firefighting Resources

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) — The County Fire burning in Yolo County continues to explode in size. It now stands at 60,000 acres with only 5 percent containment. According to Cal Fire 700 structures are now threatened, though no homes have been destroyed.

On Monday night, fire crews were doing what they could to take advantage of the weather conditions- the lower temperatures and high humidity to begin to get a handle on this.

"The rates of spread were dangerous and explosive," said Cal Fire Division Chief Chris Anthony.

The fire started Saturday in Yolo County and is still active east of Lake Berryessa and along the Napa County line, and to the north in the town of Guinda. Calfire says shifting winds have been a challenge.

"Any ember that falls ahead of the main fire, there's a 90 percent or more chance it can start another fire," said Anthony.

From the Pawnee Fire in Lake County to now this raging inferno, more than 2,000 fire personnel from up and down the state are working to establish control lines often with little chance to sleep which is raising concerns about firefighter fatigue.

"Both physically and mentally it can become very taxing. You're gonna see folks in fire camp that have been bounced from fire to fire to fire," said Capt. Dan Olson.

At the fire camp in Woodland, crews getting back from a 24-hour shift were trying to squeeze in a nap before they're sent back out.

"We can't get quality rest on the fire line, we can maybe get a cat nap in, and those may be in the dirt," said Ray Dombroski with the U.S. Forest Service.

One strike team from Southern California has been going from fire to fire.

"We got off the fire line and came into camp to rest for a little bit," said Jesse llanes.

"With proper rest, proper hydration and proper feeding we're gonna be able to sustain these work cycles, keep these guys aggressively fighting on the lines so that we can put this thing out," said Captain Olson.

Meanwhile, with boots on the ground, crews continued to take aggressive action Monday to set up a perimeter control by creating a controlled burn.

Rancher Paul Chapman chose not to evacuate but instead, he was driving a dozer to create his own fire line around his home.

"I want to make sure that if I wake up in the morning if my house is on fire that I did my best," said Chapman.

The potential for growth remains high as crews battle the fire in difficult terrain. And that's why they urge folks to head the warnings and evacuate.

Full containment isn't expected for another 8 days.