Yuma Fire Department personnel busy with California blaze

The four Yuma Fire Department personnel deployed with the Imperial Valley Strike Team to fight wildfires in California on Monday were able to make contact with YFD Tuesday afternoon.

The fire captain, engineer and two firefighters sent from YFD were near the community of Running Springs and were operating in an area south of Lake Arrowhead. They are teamed with units from Brawley, Calipatria, El Centro and Imperial Valley Fire Departments, according to a YFD press release.

They had worked all night on the fire lines protecting structures endangered by fire.

YFD spokesman Mike Erfert said they have been working with minimal breaks, and he anticipates the heavy workload will continue. He said it is not known how long they will need to be deployed.

"We know they'll do their best job and represent the city of Yuma well," Erfert said. "We're all thinking about them and keeping them in our prayers."

He said at this point, the firefighters are so busy, and cell phone coverage is so spotty, he is unsure at which California fire they are performing structure protection duties. He hopes to find out when they are able to contact YFD again.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center Web site, these are two of the possible fires where the YFD personnel may be deployed:

-The Grass Valley fire, in the San Bernardino National Forest: 300 acres at an unknown percent contained.

-Witch Fire, in San Diego County: 145,000 acres at zero percent contained. This fire is one mile east of Ramona. Hundreds of homes and commercial buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Currently, 5,000 residences and 1,500 commercial properties are threatened in San Diego, Poway, Ramona, Escondido, Lakeside, Valley Center, San Marcos and Rancho Santa Fe. Wildcat Canyon is closed. Highway 67 is closed from Poway to Ramona.

According to Rural/Metro Fire Department spokesman Mike Shelton, "At this point, we're not sending anyone."

Two Rural/Metro ambulance crews from Yuma were on standby, staffed with emergency medical technicians trained to assist people who suffer burns or smoke inhalation.

Rural/Metro's firefighters are trained to battle wildland fires, but none from Yuma had been summoned to California on Tuesday.

At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, about 40 aircraft that included F-18 fighter jets, C-130 cargo planes and Marine helicopters were evacuated to other bases in California and Arizona. However, none of the aircraft were sent to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, according to MCAS officials.

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Nicole Squibbs can be reached at

nsquibbs@yumasun.com or 539-6855.