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3 Marin firefighters burned by ‘blow torch’ of flames at Shasta County inferno
Posted: 07/27/18, 4:11 PM PDT Updated: 4 hrs ago
Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber said Friday he was evaluating whether to dispatch fresh firefighters to battle the Carr fire in Shasta County after three members of his department suffered burn injuries Thursday night.
Weber said the injured firefighters, who staffed one of the engine companies, were defending a home east of Redding at about 7:45 p.m. when the “fire made a pretty significant run.”
“They were adjacent to a pinyon pine tree grove, which is highly volatile,” Weber said. “The fire literally laid down like a blow torch with the wind on it. They were several hundred feet away but the radiant heat was extreme.
“With the leadership of the company officer they took refuge in the engine,” Weber said, “and were spared more significant injury by those actions.”
Engineer Scott Pederson, 37, who has served 19 years with the department; firefighter Tyler Barnes, 34, who has four years with the department, and firefighter Brian Cardoza, 26, who has been with the department just three months, were treated for second-degree burns at Mercy Hospital in Redding and released Friday morning.
Pederson suffered burns to his hands. Barnes suffered less severe burns to his nose and ears. Cardoza, whose face was burned, was sent to the University of California at Davis on Friday for additional treatment.
Weber said that at 1 a.m. Thursday his department dispatched five engines and 17 firefighters to the Carr fire. The Marin County firefighters were assigned to the fire front to defend homes and rescue residents.
He said after the incident he pulled the entire strike team off the line.
“As you can imagine, they’re pretty shook up. We’re providing them with some peer support and are getting them some rest,” Weber said. “They’ve been out firefighting for a couple of days now.”
Weber said protocol calls for an accident review of the incident in conjunction with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Mill Valley Fire Department, the Tiburon Fire Protection District, and the Central Marin Fire Department each dispatched one engine and four firefighters to the Carr fire on Thursday morning, said Mill Valley fire Chief Tom Welch.
“They had a very, very active night last night in multiple threatened Redding neighborhoods,” Welch said.
He said that while the fire’s intensity lessened Friday morning, he expected it to pick up again by the afternoon.
Asked if the fire’s fury caused him to be concerned for personnel, Welch said, “I’m always worried about our staff, but they are well trained and very experienced. They make good decisions, so I sleep well knowing that.”
The Novato Fire District, Kentfield Fire Protection District and Ross Valley Fire Department also have each dispatched four firefighters to the Cranston fire, which has scorched about 11,500 acres in Riverside County.
Weber said the number of severe fires so far this year has put his department back on its heels.
“The folks are just tired,” he said. “We’ve been going strong since the middle of June with fire activity.
“On the heels of last year where we were engaged in active firefighting from June until December and then the mudslides in January, there just hasn’t been a break,” Weber said. “We’re certainly on an unsustainable path for the California fire service if things don’t change.”
The Carr Fire has grown to 80,906 acres and is 5 percent contained. Numerous mandatory evacuations are in place.
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