LAKE COUNTY ? Hundreds of firefighters from the north Bay Area, including from Cal Fire”s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit, headed to the Santa Cruz Mountains where a 2,000-acre blaze rapidly took over the summit of coastal mountains Thursday.
A strike team of 16 firefighters and five engines, additional crews of 37 firefighters, and two bulldozers set off from the unit in St. Helena to the Santa Cruz fire, dubbed the “Summit Fire.”
The unit currently has nine engines, four bulldozers and three fire crews available locally, should a fire spark up in the tri-county area.
The Sonoma Air Attack Base on Thursday reloaded airtankers in support of the Summit Fire.
In anticipation of an early start to the fire season, the unit decided to bring resources on to match the dry weather conditions. This includes seasonal employees such as firefighters and engines, and has decided to staff the Sonoma Air Attack Base.
Since opening on May 14, Cal Fire”s aircraft have responded to area fires in the Geysers area and the “Tar Fire” off of St. Helena Road, as well as fire activity in neighboring counties.
