Hundreds of Bay Area firefighters are helping to battle the multiple wildfires raging across Northern California, as firefighting resources from across the state and around the country pour in to help fight the fires.
"We have more than 13,000 personnel from state, local and federal agencies fighting these statewide fires," Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said.
Many of those firefighters are volunteers from local fire departments.
San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr., for instance, said crews from his department are currently battling four wildfires. Those include the Dixie and Caldor fires, the state's two largest active wildfires.
Sapien told KCBS Radio the 22 members of his department's strike team are facing difficult conditions.
"Lot of smoke they are exposed to," Sapien said in an interview. "Lot of heat, lot of challenges. But to a person, they are very happy to be out here, trying to help."
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Fire Department has 24 people, six engines and two SUVs to the Dixie and Monument fires. The Oakland Fire Department has one four-person engine crew aiding on the Dixie Fire.
"These are folks who really want to be part of the solution," Sapien said of local firefighters battling state wildfires. "They go out, they are energized. Many of them sign up for that particular assignment."
As a result of this mutual aid, local firefighters often work overtime to back-fill those positions.
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