Marin Firefighters Tread North to Assist in Fire Siege

The following is a news release from the County of Marin:

What began as a humid muggy week turned disastrous for many Northern California counties as lightning-sparked fires have overwhelmed local resources. The Marin County Fire Department and seven other Marin agencies (Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Southern Marin, San Rafael, Marinwood, Larkspur, Tiburon and Novato) answered the call for help with more than 60 personnel.

“It was destined to be a long, hot, dangerous fire season but we were hopeful Mother Nature would hold out as long as possible. Unfortunately that did not happen,” said Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber. “Conditions brought on by the drought, coupled with lightning, followed by hot dry winds, proved to be a recipe for disaster.”

Fires are actively burning in many Northern California counties including Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Mendocino, Humboldt and Shasta. Tim Walsh, a 30-plus-year veteran firefighter and Tam Crew superintendent said he has “not seen fire behavior or volume like this in a very long time.”

Marin County Fire personnel have bounced from fire to fire statewide starting July 26 in El Dorado County on the Sand Fire, then to the Web Fire in Butte County and ultimately in Modoc County on the Day Fire, which is currently about 7,000 acres and only 10 percent contained.

“The troops were in good spirts at last check-in with very little sleep,” Weber said, “but with many ‘saves’ under their belt. Much of the time spent has been defending structures and homes.”

Residents in Marin remain well-protected, Weber said, because of drought augmentation funding from CALFire and call back of off-duty personnel.