A crew of Dixon firefighters are now on the scene to help battle a large grass fire in Colusa County. The crew consists of four firefighters and one firetruck.
“One of our trucks is rigged for fighting brush fires and they left yesterday,” said Jarrod Infante, Dixon Fire Engineer. They joined a strike force from Sacramento that included eight firefighters and two engines from Cosumnes Fire Department, two engines from Sacramento City Fire Department and an engine and strike team leader from Folsom Fire Department.
According to a report on SacBee.com, the fire has burned 13,000 acres of timber and brush and the fire is only 20 percent contained. There are about three homes and a dozen ranches reported in the area.
Planes from CAL FIRE bases all over Northern California are working to stop the Sites Complex fire in Colusa County from burning to the west.
The fire began as five separate fires near Maxwell Sunday and exploded to over 1000 acres in just a few hours. CAL FIRE was able to put out three of those fires, but the largest two fires burned together – with flames devouring hillside after hillside.
Air tankers from as far away as Santa Rosa, Chico and Redding were dropping water and retardant on the flames Sunday and Monday. The Sites Complex is burning in steep, rugged terrain, making life tough on fire crews and equipment.
“The season is ramping up and it looks like its going to be busy,” said Infante. “Last year was kind of quiet but already this year, we are seeing a lot of action and its pretty early in the season.”
Another fire official reported Cal Fire crews were battling a large vegetation fire in southeastern Monterey County Monday. The fire was reported just before 11:30 a.m. about 25 miles east of San Miguel, Cal Fire Forester Jonathan Pangburn said.
As of 3:30 p.m., the fire had engulfed roughly 2,700 acres of land and was about 30 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. More than 215 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, according to Cal Fire. No structures were threatened by the fire.
CAL FIRE spokesman Daniel Berlant says Californians should brace themselves for a long fire season.
