California firefighters battle an enemy they can't beat

Trevor Hughes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Carr Fire levels, ravages Redding neighborhood Drone video shows what's left of Lake Keswick Estates after the merciless Carr Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

﻿LEWISTON, Calif. – As flames from the deadly Carr Fire light the midnight sky around him, firefighter Derek Longoria gratefully lowers himself to the pavement and tears into his first meal in 12 hours.

The food is nothing special – a hamburger patty with jalapeno cheese sauce, dug from a pouch and scarfed down. But right now, Longoria and firefighting partner Zachary Hankins, 26, just need the calories. The men from CalFire engine 2477 have been working almost nonstop since the fire blasted through Redding and the surrounding communities tucked into the forest.

More than 1,000 homes have burned, but countless more were saved by firefighters. More than 4,000 firefighters from across the country are assigned to the fire, battling flames in triple-digit temperatures and choking smoke.

“That first night, when we saved a bunch of houses. That was awesome," said Longoria, 28.

Their work is taking a toll. Longoria has worn holes in the soles of his sturdy leather boots from hiking hoses up and down the rugged terrain, and from racing from neighborhood to neighborhood at the order of dispatchers and fire commanders. And although crews do their best to stay safe, the fire has claimed the lives of two firefighters.

This year, Longoria and Hankins are among the nearly 2,000 seasonal firefighters hired by CalFire, the statewide fire department, to battle wildfires. Those seasonal firefighters join more than 5,300 full-time employees and about 3,500 inmate volunteers, along with thousands of heavy-equipment contractors and supply company workers

And it's not enough.

Although the number of wildfires sparked annually in California has remained generally steady, the destruction they cause is getting worse. The Carr Fire is now the sixth-most destructive wildfire in state history. Five of the state's 10 most destructive wildfires have come in the past four years, and they usually come in September or later. The Carr Fire has the dubious distinction of being the earliest major wildfire in decades.

The Carr Fire started July 23 when sparks from a deflated trailer tire ignited roadside vegetation. The fire quickly spread in high heat and strong winds, prompting thousands of evacuations. As of Aug. 1, it has destroyed 1,018 homes and was just 35 percent contained.

The changing fire seasons have prompted CalFire, the nation's third-largest fire department, to hire seasonal firefighters months earlier than usual. Experts say the Western wildfire season lasts 80 days longer than it did 30 years ago: The season now stretches 222 days because of warmer, drier summers.

"Not only are we hiring sooner, but firefighters are working longer," said Heather Williams, a CalFire information officer. "It's not really a season anymore. It's just year-round."

Longoria doesn't need anyone to tell him things have changed. Even in his three years as a seasonal firefighter, he has seen wildfires get more intense, and he's not sure how much longer he wants to keep fighting the fight. He has two kids and a girlfriend he'll see only rarely in a fire season that lasts nine months. The upside is the huge amounts of guaranteed overtime that can push salaries for even the newest firefighters above $60,000 for the nine-month season.

“It’s a lot of dirty, hard work. Your summers are gone because the fires are so gnarly," he said. "I don’t know how some of these dudes do it. They’re gone all summer and only see their family in the winter.”

Hankins, a former Marine, is working his second season for CalFire, drawn to the job by its discipline and the chance to help his fellow Americans. Hankins said he tried working in a fast-food restaurant but found it unfulfilling. Despite the grueling 24-hour shifts he and his colleagues have pulled this season, he said the hard work is worth it.

“As soon as we got in here, they were like 'go, go, go,' " Hankins said, recalling the morning of July 26, when the fire took off and evacuations were ordered. "We were everywhere just trying to put out houses.”

Monday night offered the hope that firefighters were getting the upper hand. Temperatures moderated and the humidity was up, with little wind to drive the flames. That gave firefighters the chance to light small fires in areas they want to protect, and dozens of men rested in their trucks or dozed on the ground as they monitored the crackling embers and watched as flames consumed trees.

Ash and smoke filled the air as firefighters traded war stories and jokes, debated the merits of different prepackaged meals and discussed whether their predecessors 20 years ago were tougher.

While the basic tactics for fighting wildfires haven't changed much in generations, California's modern wildfires are particularly destructive because so many homes are built among the trees. While some local areas require fire-resistant building materials on new construction, older homes, especially trailer homes, are particularly vulnerable to wind-driven flames.

Complicating matters, experts say, is that as many as 129 million dead trees are standing across the state, killed by drought and insects and just waiting for a spark.

CalFire has increased the amount of time firefighters spend clearing away dead trees, either by cutting them down or doing what are known as "prescribed burns," which are fires lit under controlled conditions. The theory is that by lighting fires that will burn weakly, firefighters will reduce the danger that same area will burn out of control later. Hiring firefighters earlier gives crews more time to do that work before the fire season truly begins.

It's all part of officials' efforts to get residents to take fire danger more seriously. Even though California is prone to wildfires, many residents seem to think it will never happen to them. That's why firefighters, in consultation with local law enforcement, are also pushing for evacuations to be announced earlier, giving residents more time to get out ahead of fires that spread faster than they used to.

"People are starting to take notice, realizing that these fires are burning so big and so fast that their luck might run out," Williams said. "Wildfire behavior is changing. Career firefighters are saying they've never seen anything like it – and they keep saying it."

Among those echoing that sentiment is Bret Gouvea, commander of the Carr Fire incident management team. One of CalFire's most experienced fire commanders, Gouvea told area residents Tuesday night that firefighters have been confounded by the fire's overnight behavior. Wildfires normally flare up during the day and calm down at night when the temperatures are cooler and the winds lighter.

But the dry conditions mean the fire gets roaring in the day and then keeps burning at night, the way fires more often do at the end of the summer, he said.

"We are seeing fire behavior that's typical of October," Gouvea warned. "And it's only July."

Back on the Carr Fire, Hankins and Longoria are stretched out on the pavement, watching the flames consume underbrush. They're poised to intervene if embers look like they'll cross the road, but are otherwise resting up after seemingly endless days of work. The day off they had Sunday seems months ago at this point, and they still have at least six hours of work left this night.

The two aren't even sure what fire they were pulled off to help with this one, or even which neighborhoods they ended up protecting. Like most of CalFire's seasonal firefighters, Hankins and Longoria will be working for weeks on end, with few real breaks.

Cellphone videos Hankins and Longoria shot show flames consuming houses and massive trees toppling power lines. In the dark, it's hard to see landmarks, especially if the fire has burned them down, along with the street signs.

"We were up for so many hours," Hankins said by way of explanation.

And the heart of the wildfire season is yet to come in September and October. Still, Hankins said, he's proud to be protecting his state and well aware of how much longer this season will go on.

“You give up all your time, but you get home and you feel really good about what you did.”