Some Fire Crews Return Home As Kincade Firefight Eases
SANTA ROSA (KPIX 5) -- After a very long and sometimes dangerous week battling the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, some of the fire crews finally got to go home Thursday.
With 60 percent of the fire contained, dozens of urban fire rigs were being released.
"Most of the trucks you see leaving right now are the structure or the Type 1's as we refer to them," said Kit Bailey with California Office of Emergency Services. "And that mission is starting to wind down. We are still keeping a lot of our wildland Type 3 engines."
The San Francisco convoy assembled and left camp Thursday morning, but the effort is to get the Southern California crews out first so that if needed, they may be available to help join the fight against multiple fires still burning down south
The strike team from the city of Alameda and East Bay Regional Parks received their discharge papers Thursday afternoon. Mike Williams said he is anxious to get home.
"Yeah, get to go home! And my 11-year-old daughter -- who cried herself to sleep last night 'cause she was missing Daddy -- I'm going to go home and surprise her at home, going to trick-or-treat with her!" said Williams.
Equipment is stored, hoses inspected and cleaned. At one point, there was more than 100 miles of hose deployed in the fight to contain the Kincade Fire.
Before any of these fire trucks leave camp, they are carefully inspected by a team of mechanics for any damage that may have occurred while on the fire lines. Once cleared, they pull out.
