Bay Area Rallies Behind SCU Firefighters

PLEASANTON, CA — Every morning, firefighters lace up their boots and walk out of their base camp at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton to head to the front lines of the SCU Lightning Complex Fires, which had scorched more than 383,000 acres and 18 buildings across five counties as of Monday morning.

And every morning, they step outside to find kids and parents waiting for them and waving, ready to cheer them on for the exhausting hours ahead.

On Sunday, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Mike Marcucci had the opportunity to meet some of the kids who try to brighten his team's spirits every day.

They gathered in front of the fairgrounds at Valley and Bernal Avenues and handed Marcucci tokens of appreciation to pass along to his team. The kids made thank you cards and posters that called the firefighters heroes and thanked them for their work.

And thanks to more than 1,900 firefighters assigned to the SCU Lightning Complex fire — the largest burning in the state — containment has climbed to 60 percent.

Firefighters hope to reach full containment by Thursday.

Get the latest SCU Lightning Complex fire updates here.

View a scene from the heartwarming encounter below:

This morning Deputy Chief Mike Marcucci had the honor of meeting local children and accepting cards and posters made for the Firefighters battling the SCU Lightning Complex. These kids along with their parents have been out each morning to cheer on the FFs as they leave camp. pic.twitter.com/SHQPObSvlJ
— CAL FIRE SCU (@calfireSCU) August 30, 2020