Weather warning worries Napa County firefighters already spread thin
NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- Firefighters at Napa County Station 25 are keeping one ear on the radio, one hand on their fire engines and both eyes on the dry vegetation in the hills around them.
Not only are there fires burning around California that Napa firefighters are helping fight, but there's now a Red Flag warning in effect for parts of northern Napa and Sonoma counties.
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A Red Flag warning is the highest alert issued by the National Weather Service for weather that could result in extreme fire behavior.
"The Red Flag warning means that the conditions are going to be very receptive for potential fire behavior and large incidents," Deputy Fire Marshal Chase Beckman explained.
That's what firefighters here are dreading since Napa County already has strike teams in Shasta County for the Carr Fire and in Lake County for the Mendocino Complex Fires. Which means fewer firefighters at home in the North Bay.
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"We are thin. We do have resources committed to major incidents right now. But locally all our Napa County fire stations are staffed and the firemen and women are ready to respond," Beckman said.
The men and women of Station 25 are reminded every day how much hard work goes into fighting a major fire. Stand in front of the station and the view reveals hills still scarred by last year's Atlas Fire.
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That knowledge will come in handy since two of 25's engines are scheduled to leave in a couple days to help relieve one of the strike teams at the Carr Fire.
"We prepare for this early spring, early summer with readiness drills and stuff to keep people mentally focused on what could happen," said Firefighter Sergio Flores.
Get the latest on the Carr Fire here, the Complex Fire here and the latest on wildfires across California here.
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