Triple-Digit Temperatures Make Fighting Silverado Canyon Fire Even More Difficult
SILVERADO CANYON (CBSLA.com) — The Silverado Canyon fire continues to rage Sunday evening more than three days after the blaze was first reported.
On Saturday evening, firefighters first said they were starting to get an upper hand on the blaze
Sunday, of course, triple-digit temperatures made an already difficult fight even more impossible.
KCAL9's Bobby Kaple spoke to some of the firefighters battling the flames and asking how they were coping in all that heavy equipment in all that heat.
"It started out extremely hot this morning, and it just got hotter," says Captain Todd Downing of the Orange County Fire Authority.
He is one of 1,300+ firefighters actively battling the fire. As of Sunday evening, the fire was reportedly about 50 percent contained.
Sunday evening firefighters revised down the total number of acres from 1,600 to 1,200 to a new estimate of 968.
"Before you hit the hill, you are sweating profusely. Then you start adding the hills and the hiking and all the gear that we carry and dehydration becomes a big factor," Downing says.
He led a hand crew into the Canyon Sunday morning and he was planning on taking the crew out again Sunday evening.
Downing told Kaple the teams work in shifts and take frequent breaks to prevent heat exhaustion.
A tent camp was set up to help but direct sunlight, little shade and 100+ degree temperatures pose a challenge.
"The sun is just baking on you the whole time and obviously there is steep terrain, so the fatigue factor is pretty quick," Downing said.
Hydration and nutrition are also key for firefighters working in the blazing sun.
At a fire in North Hollywood Sunday, firefighters used cold wet rags on their head in an effort to stay cool.
Coming up with ways to keep cool are even more difficult in the mountains with rugged terrain all around.
"You just can't go full on for hours on end without taking those needed breaks," said OCFA Battalion Chief Mike Petro, who was also on the front lines in Silverado Canyon.
Petro said, "We'll have helicopters slinging in water, make sure that the guys are hydrated because they can't carry all the water they are going to drink during that work period."
