Cal Fire San Diego explains how large fires are fought

RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) – Drop after drop of water and fire retardant poured onto the charred hills of Boulevard as CalFire battles the blaze.

“We’re really trying to get ahead of the game from the ground and the air,” said CalFire San Diego Capt. Thomas Shoots. “What we’re doing is we’re sending a huge contingent very early. We’re sending fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, all of our ground assets, bulldozers, hand crews.”

Regardless of size, Shoots said CalFire responds with plenty of resources.

“We're not joking. We're doing everything we can to limit the shootings,” Shoots said.

Shoots said the planes help in rural areas like the McCain fire, where ground crews can't get to. They also provide assistance beyond just dropping water and retardant.

“A lot of this area in McCain is so steep and rocky that we can’t even get bulldozers in there. So we rely on hand crews that sometimes go miles at a time; sometimes we have to bring in crews by helicopter to get them where they’re needed,” Shoots said.

Shoots told 10News that after massive fires in 2003 and 2007, the region continued to ramp up its air and ground crews to fight massive fires like the McCain Fire.

“We don’t get resources from the South and there’s not much to offer from the East. So everything comes from Riverside and beyond to come and help us,” Shoots said. “They do come, but it takes time and we’re always competing with other fires all over the state. So the better we can take care of ourselves here in San Diego County, the better off we’re going to be, and we’ve done a really good job of that.”