OR Firefighters Discuss Northern CA Carnage

Nov. 30 -- Firefighters are used to seeing things most people don't. It’s just part of the job when you rush into burning buildings while everyone else rushes out.

But three mid-valley firefighters said they weren’t fully prepared to see an entire city leveled — “like a bomb had gone off” — when they answered the call to help battle the Camp Fire at Paradise and Magalia, California. The fire now ranks as the deadliest fire in the state’s history with 88 deaths and 200 people still missing.

Firefighters Mike Hurley, 47, Tom Henke, 44, and Trevor Daley, 32, said Thursday that entering the burned-out community of Paradise was eerie, because the fire had consumed “95 percent of the homes and buildings” and burned so hot that structures were reduced to ashes.

A few homes and business survived the inferno, but not many, they said.

“Aluminum car wheels were just silver puddles and aluminum engine blocks melted,” said Hurley, an apparatus operator with 27 years’ experience. “Glass bottles were broken and melted together.”

The trio and apparatus operator Leon Eichler — who was not present for the Thursday interview with a Democrat-Herald reporter — composed a team charged with search and recovery of bodies and putting out spot fires. They said the tasks were both physically and emotionally draining.

The fire started on Nov. 8. Powered by high winds, it was growing at 1 acre per second at one point. Oregon firefighters were dispatched through the State Fire Marshal’s Office the next day. The mid-valley sent Linn County Strike Team No. 10 and Linn and Benton counties sent Strike Team No. 17.

In all, 39 firefighters responded from Albany, Sweet Home, Lebanon, Harrisburg, Halsey/Shedd, Tangent, Scio, Corvallis and Philomath. Oregon sent 300 firefighters total.

“We knew it was serious when they told us to be prepared to spend 14 days there,” said firefighter/EMT Daley, who has been with the Albany Fire Department about two years.

'Super smoky'

On Friday, Nov. 9, the men drove an engine 425 miles to Chico — the fire stopped just short of the city limits — and joined personnel from several states staged at the local fairgrounds.

“It was super smoky,” Hurley said. “The first night we stayed in an old building that looked like a gym and it was full of smoke.”

Their first shift began Saturday morning when they relieved Cal Fire crews that had been on duty for 48 straight hours.

“They were just coming off the line and they were wiped out,” Hurley said. “They were extremely glad to see us.”

After the first night, the local firefighters bunked in yurts.

“There were a lot of people at fire camp,” Daley said. “They had it set up pretty well. There was laundry service, showers, a supply area and a command center. They knew what they were doing and had it dialed in.”

The men said the crews had radios that could be adjusted to match any frequencies used by other agencies, so they could maintain valuable radio contact.

Fires were still burning that first day, the men said.

“It looked like a bomb had gone off,” Hurley said. “Everything was leveled. Almost nothing was standing. It was just flat.”

The Albany crew began rescue and recovery duties at key targeted areas.

“We worked 24 hours that first shift,” Hurley said. “During the day, we went from business to business, house to house and searched apartments.”

Several factors made the searches especially difficult, including roofs that had collapsed and had to be removed to allow a search of the grounds, and stucco walls that had fallen inside instead of outside.

“We got really good at dismantling roofs,” Henke said.

Electrical lines — some live — were everywhere, the men said, and they also had to deal with propane tanks and burst water pipes.

Most days included breakfast, a daily briefing, a long shift, then showers, chow and a phone call home.

The local crew cleared more than 200 structures in a single day.

The men said they located about a dozen bodies. When they found evidence of a body, they would call in anthropologists to confirm.

“Everyone realized very quickly that everyone needed peer support in this,” Daley said. “We kept track of each other and asked the other guys how they were doing constantly.”

Cal Fire also brought in counseling experts “because they had never seen anything like this before,” Daley said.

With their homes and belongings leveled, families created makeshift shelters at local parking lots, with 200 to 300 people at a time.

Some homes survived the inferno, the men said, and a few hearty souls didn't evacuate the area. One man hadn’t spoken to anyone in a week, but he was OK because he had a pond and a generator.

Hurley said it was eerie to enter homes and see what items were taken by residents forced to flee at a moment’s notice. He added it was strange to note the time on clocks when electrical power went out, which varied by area.

“You could feel the sheer panic,” he said. “There were some pictures taken off the walls, or you could see they took their safe, things that were important to them. You could see they needed to go now. There was milk and cereal set out on one table. I kept thinking, what would you take if you had three minutes to get out of your home?”

Unfortunately, the men said, there also was looting and some residents were armed to defend their properties. There also was vandalism to vehicles owned by the area power company, because some people thought a downed power line started the fire. (Officials so far have declined to say what they think started the blaze.)

Despite the devastation, the men agreed they were touched by the outpouring of love and support they received.

“I had a woman who bought me socks at Costco in Chico,” Henke said. “She refused to let me pay for them. There were signs everywhere and people would buy us coffee if we went out to eat. Here they are living in tents and they are thanking us.”

As challenging as the work was, the men took solace in knowing they were providing families with closure.

“And, it was amazing to watch how the people of Chico and others were setting up donation centers, soup kitchens and even had turkey dinners on Thanksgiving for those who lost their homes,” Daley said. “Paradise families still can’t go home.”

All mid-valley firefighters were home by Thanksgiving and have begun adjusting to normal daily lives. But they're also dealing with their California experiences. There have been several debriefings, and programs are in place for all.

“We have extensive peer-supported counseling,” said Albany Fire Department spokeswoman Sandy Roberts. “We always watch out for each other. As a department, that is important for us every day. Counseling is always available to staff and we offer outside counseling as well.”

As of Thursday, the Camp Fire was considered 100 percent contained and officials say families may be able to return their homes by early next week.

At its peak, there were 5,600 staff and 620 engines assigned to the fire.

The Camp Fire encompassed 153,336 acres, destroyed almost 14,000 single residences and damaged another 500. It destroyed 528 commercial structures. Some 1,065 personnel, 74 engines, three water tenders, two helicopters, 11 hand crews, three dozers and air tankers battled the blaze.

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