Scene at fire command post

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The incident command post is at the base of Heavenly Mountain Ski resort. By midday Monday, some of the first California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Departments fire crews were relieved after about 16 hours on the fire lines.

‘We have several hundred members of fire attack crews on the scene,’ said Ken Cesler, a correctional lieutenant. ‘It is hot, heavy, nasty work. It went on the lines at about 5 p.m. yesterday,’ he said, noting that most of the crews were still working the fire Monday afternoon.

James White, 41, is a Compton resident serving a burglary sentence at the Washington Ridge Fire Camp in Nevada County. He serves as a second-in-command on one of the fire crews supervised by California Department of Forestry Captains.

‘We just did 15 hours. We worked through the night with head lamps and wearing shrouds.’

White was part of a 15-member crew that did back-burning to prevent the fire from reaching the local high school.

‘We were saving the school, the high school, we burned right behind the football field,’ White said. ‘We succeeded, the school was saved. The line was in the back and is all black and is all burned.’

-- Tim Reiterman

ing