Marshall McClung
The extensive news coverage of the tragic California wildfires has brought back memories – as they always do.
In 1979, I was part of a “hotshot” fire crew assigned to a fire burning in the mountains around Altadena – in the vicinity of Pasadena, Calif. This is the same area you are seeing in the news coverage now.
We were on what locals would call a “shin bone” ridge, barely wide enough to walk on. I could see a long distance both directions and there were other firefighters as far as I could see.
We turned down a steep cove and began constructing fire line and setting a back fire as we went. We could hear the fire approaching us, but couldn’t see it for the thick smoke. The roar of the fire was so loud that we had to yell to each other to be heard – although we were only a few feet apart.
We reached a housing development and brought the fire line between two homes and onto a paved street. Residents were on top of roofs and in their yards with garden hoses trying to save their homes. Air tankers and helicopters were coming over us very low, and dropping fire retardant and water on the houses. We couldn’t see very far out the street, but heard later that several homes had burned.
We were moved to another section of the fire -- which was several hundred acres in size by then -- to repeat the same process over. This time, the fire made a run directly toward us and was setting spot fires well out in front of the main fire. We were ordered to pull back out of the area, as it was evident that no crew was going to be able to stop it there.
We had been on the fire for an extended period of time and were sent to a fire camp for rest and a meal. Early the next day, we were shipped to another fire.
I was on 22 fires that summer before returning home in October.
It only came one soaking rain the months I was there – just before I left.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached by email, mcclungs@email.com.