Making life-saving rescues is never easy.
Now, add massive flames, embers, thick smoke and the dark of night to the mix.
For the people on Labor Day Weekend camping trips in the Sierra National Forest, the Creek Fire northeast of Fresno seemed to come out of nowhere. The way out by road was cut off, forcing a few hundred people to shelter-in-place and wait for help - even getting into the water - as flames gained momentum all around them.
Help finally came in the form of California Army National Guard aircraft.
"We grabbed our night vision goggles and headed up to the location they had given us, selected a route, tried to get to the lake," said Chief Warrant Officer Kipp Goding, one of the Chinook and Black Hawk helicopter pilots making the brave rescues.
"We weren't able to get to it because there was too much smoke. (We) picked an alternate route and were able to be successful to get down into where people were stranded, and it was brutal. Just Armageddon. Just brutal, brutal. (There was) fire completely around the lake."
Evacuations continued for several days.
It turned out to be a successful operation, and one tougher than any overseas missions, according to Chief Goding.
"It is more strenuous," Chief Goding told KCBS Radio. "It is definitely more taxing mentally, physically. It is definitely the hardest flying we do is working with CAL FIRE here in California."
CAL FIRE said Friday morning the fire was 6% contained overnight and has burned 175,000 acres.
