On the morning of June 30, fog rolled into the California coast, giving firefighters a small reprieve from hot weather and hotter fires. A total of 1,420 fires are being fought in California, covered by approximately 20,000 firefighters. Many have come in from other states to aid the beleaguered California firefighters.
The Los Pedros National Forest, which includes Big Sur, has 1,200 structures and 195 outbuildings still threatened, according to John Heil, the Pacific Southwest Region Media officer. The fire, which covers 32,476 acres, is only 3% contained. With 1,071 firefighting personnel assigned to this area, Heil said their department has a history of 100 years of firefighting, and a deep commitment to their job.
There have been no major injuries reported and no loss of human lives due to the fire, according to David Boyd, the Northern California Operations Officer.
The biggest problems for firefighters are keeping hydrated and smoke inhalation. I learned that firefighters often carried several gallons of their own water and sports drinks as well as their firefighting equipment into the fire area, depending on how far they were from the water trucks.
While the fires in California were caused primarily due to lightning, those in the Prescott National Forest of Arizona were said to be human-caused.
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