MT. WILSON, Calif. — The Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest has now been burning for three weeks and scorched well over 100,000 acres. Some of the more than 1,500 firefighters on the front lines have been there since day one and are also now battling burnout.
L.A. County firefighter Ryan Kirwan has been on the fire 13 days stationed atop Mt. Wilson defending the observatory and billion-dollar communications infrastructure. The fire has come dangerously close.
What You Need To Know
- Some of the 1,500 firefighters on the front lines have been battling the Bobcat fire since day one
- The fire dropped in containment Monday morning from 65 percent to 62 percent as Santa Ana winds picked up
- It has now burned well over 100,000 acres at this point
- After the long battle thus far, firefighters must overcome physical exhaustion to keep themselves safe
“We did have fire coming up this ridge and this is where we made a stand,” said Kirwan, as he gestured to scorched trees and brush. “It got pretty intense at times between heat and smoke. It’s really hard to see, hard to breathe. You have snot and tears running down your face.”
The long and continuous days on the fire line don’t come with many breaks.
“It’s been so busy up here that we haven’t had very long stretches of sleep — maybe a half an hour to an hour at a time,” he said.
Kirwan’s fight has had other personal cost.
”I missed my first wedding anniversary while I’ve been up here," he said. "So that was a little different, but I was able to order some things online and send it to my wife."
U.S. Forest Service firefighter Tyler Cole with the Dalton Hot Shots, based near Glendora, is away from home for months at a time during fire season.
“This is our 11th fire we’ve been on, working incidents for 106 days as of today with 12 days off since mid-June,” said Cole.
His crew can be sent anywhere from Alaska to Washington. Although he is close to home working the Bobcat fire, his bed is usually found on the side of a mountain.
“You just got your mat on the ground and a sleeping bag. Tents take too long to set up,” he said with a laugh.
Fighting day after day, Cole must overcome physical exhaustion to keep himself and his fellow firefighters safe.
“You’ve got to be on your game for it and ready to go because a lot of people rely on that," he said. "We come into this career and we understand the sacrifices that we have to make."
The fire dropped in containment Sunday night into Monday morning from 65 percent to 62 percent as the Santa Ana winds picked up. High heat is forecast through the rest of September.
As the fire continues to burn heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread, the fight may be far from over, with the next grueling firefight not far behind.