Rumsey Rafting Business Lends A Hand To Competitor After Sand Fire Destroys Gear

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) — Crews continue to fight and now have a better handle on the Sand Fire, but the flames have left behind a significant amount of destruction.

A rafting business in Rumsey lost all of its equipment just before the season starts.

All that's left of Whitewater Adventures is bits of their rafts that have been charred to pieces. Their trailers are completely destroyed as well as the trucks that pull them. Other rafting businesses nearby are coming together to help Whitewater stay open.

"It could have been us. It could have been us just as easy as him and I would hope he would do the same thing for us," Brandy Burns, who owns Cache Canyon River Trips

Brandy Burns just took over Cache River Trips a couple days ago and narrowly avoided losing her own equipment to the fire that charred the Rumsey area. She stores her gear there, but happened to be hauling it out the day the fire started.

"We actually didn't realize how close it was until we were up there and they were literally dropping water and fire retardant just behind us," she said.

The owners of Whitewater Adventures weren't so lucky. Burns has plans to loan them a few rafts of her own.

"Our kids have worked for him so while he's technically our competitor, he's also someone we've known forever as a friend," she said.

Burns said she and her family tried to haul Whitewater's equipment out the day of the fire, but the roads were blocked.

"The fire just moved so fast that his stuff was probably overtaken by that time," she said.

The loss for Whitewater comes as rafting season kicks off. This is a crucial time for rafting businesses to earn their income, but a spokesperson for Whitewater tells CBS13 the company has every intention of being ready for their customers in a couple weeks.