3 weeks ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Fire crews successful Fresno County are moving astir the timepiece to conflict 2 wildfires that broke retired little than 24 hours isolated — the Rector Fire, which started Tuesday, and the Ford Fire, which ignited aboriginal Tuesday morning.
As of the latest update, some fires stay active. Firefighters are moving to incorporate the flames, which person already burned dozens of acres combined. Cal Fire crews accidental they’re preparing for what could beryllium a precise engaged occurrence play ahead.
“The occurrence started astir 6:45 this morning,” said Capt. Gary Couch, Public Information Officer with Cal Fire. “When the archetypal battalion main arrived, helium reported astir 2 acres. It’s grown since then.”
The Ford Fire sparked conscionable 1 time aft the Rector Fire, which broke retired adjacent the intersection of Rector and Elwood Roads.
"They’re some successful Yokuts Valley, truthful they’re astir apt astir six miles from each other,” Couch said.
Crews accidental the Ford Fire has been particularly challenging owed to hard access.
“The terrain is steep and rugged, with a clump of rocks. It makes getting to the occurrence difficult,” Couch explained.
Cal Fire had to rapidly displacement resources from the Rector Fire to the Ford Fire arsenic caller flames flared up.
"The resources that we had connected the Rector Fire were pooled to assistance combat this fire,” Couch said. “Crews were inactive rotating successful from retired of the unit.”
The effect to some fires has been aggressive. According to Couch, much than 100 unit are presently assigned to the Ford Fire alone.
“We person implicit 100 unit connected scene, with astir 10 engines, 2 bulldozers, and 4 manus crews,” helium said. “We besides person 3 aerial tankers and 2 helicopters helping from the air.”
So acold this year, Fresno County has seen 215 writer fires, a fig that Couch says underscores the value of accelerated response.
“The quality is, if we drawback the occurrence with archetypal resources, we don’t request to bid more,” helium said. “But erstwhile we can’t drawback it close away, we person to bring successful further resources.”
To hole for wildfire season, Cal Fire brings connected seasonal firefighters who spell done intensive training.
"It’s precise important to beryllium capable to bash their occupation efficaciously and efficiently,” Couch said. “Sometimes, their beingness depends connected it.”
The origin of the Rector Fire is nether investigation.
Officials confirmed that a vertebrate hitting a adjacent powerfulness enactment is what started the Ford Fire aboriginal this morning.
