As the Gifford Fire burns to the north, firefighters are taking big measures to stop it from spreading. More than a thousand firefighters are relocating to Santa Margarita to help fight the largest fire burning in California.
“The north is the focus today for sure,” said Rich Eagan, Public Information Officer for Incident Management Team 5, on the sixth day of the fire.
With the fire spanning tens of thousands of acres, Eagan says it was necessary to open a base camp in northern San Luis Obispo County.
“Right now it's taking them anywhere from three to four hours just to get out to where their location is to fight fire,” he said.
On Wednesday, crews were setting up the camp that will house over a thousand Gifford Firefighters battling the northernmost flames.
“We have water tenders, we have dozers, we have fire engines,” Eagan said. “It's really important that when we do these base camps, that we're self-contained and we have a physical address that people can deliver medications, packages, so on and so forth. It's vital that not only do we take care of the public, but we have to take care of our own as well.”
Kennedy Michael, with Johnson Maintenance Services, is a part of the crew that helps set up and maintain the camp.
"It's a 24-hour thing, there's three shifts for this job," he said. "It's a big operation, and everybody has a part here."
The entrance to the camp is off the El Camino Real, and Eagan urges drivers to be patient.
“Fire equipment is going to be all throughout this area, so just be cautious of that,” he said.
According to Eagan, a large number of fire personnel will be arriving at the camp throughout the entire week, and it's expected to remain in operation for as long as needed.
