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A team of Mountain View firefighters was sent out to help contain the Clayton fire spreading out in Lake County on Sunday, Aug. 14. An arsonist is suspected of sparking the blaze that has destroyed 175 buildings in its first few days. It’s one of several fires wildfires currently being fought in California, with officials blaming rising temperatures and years of drought for causing difficult conditions.
The Clayton Fire in Northern California began spreading on Aug. 13. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, a suspect has been arrested in connection to the Clayton and other fires. As of Tuesday, the fire had prompted evacuation orders in multiple neighborhoods and has threatened 1,500 structures in the area. The Mountain View Fire Department sent its firefighters to join the 32 crews out on the field, with over a thousand people working to contain the fire, according to department spokesman Lynn Brown.
The Mountain View team consisted of six personnel, said Brown: one emergency medical technician, two firefighters, an engineer, a captain and a chief officer serving as the team’s strike leader. They brought a fire engine with them. The MVFD does not have a concrete date of return for the fire crew, but a two-week commitment is usually asked of the participating departments, he said. Depending on how quickly crews are able to contain the Clayton fire, the firefighters might be allowed home sooner.
The fire crew was called up as part of the California mutual aid plan, which asks other agencies to help out if they have the resources and people available.
“We try to help out when mutual aid puts out a call for personnel,” Brown said. “They look around at the various counties and put the word out that whoever has people available to help should go help. The idea is that somewhere down the line, they’ll come help us if we need it.”
Earlier this year, another team of Mountain View firefighters was briefly stationed in Monterey to help out with a fire near there. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Lake County to speed up evacuations where necessary. The Clayton fire was only 20 percent contained on Tuesday.
