How crew being at right place, right time got jump on Stanislaus structure, vegetation fire
A wildland and structure fire in the Oakdale area Saturday was held to under 13 acres and could have been worse had a water rescue crew not spotted it.
Modesto Fire Department Water Rescue 29 was returning from a call at Woodward Reservoir when at about 3:10 p.m. it saw an unreported vegetation fire in the 12000 block of Orange Blossom Road.
Battalion Chief Ed Bartley called it “the luck of the draw” that the crew, returning to Knights Ferry, came across the fire when it did. Obviously, being a water rescue crew, it didn’t have the right equipment, he said, but upon making access to the property, its captain called for a structure fire and wildland fire response.
The fire was in the state’s response area, so the Cal Fire Tuolumne Calaveras Unit assumed command of the incident. It responded with eight engines, two bulldozers, aircraft and a battalion chief.
Modesto and Stanislaus Consolidated sent brush and grass rigs and five Type 1 engines to fight the structural components of the fire, Bartley said.
After nearly three hours the, fire was contained to more than 12 acres, with multiple outbuildings and vehicles destroyed. A temporary evacuation warning in the area was lifted.
At the scene on Saturday, the Cal Fire incident commander told The Bee there were no known injuries.
Crews remained on scene throughout the night and anticipated continuing overhaul efforts throughout Sunday.
Cal Fire investigators are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire, Bartley said. Investigators have been on scene since about 8 a.m. Sunday and are getting a better sense of the extent of the damage, he said.
Modesto/Stanislaus has a dozer and water tender on scene to make sure hot spots are extinguished, he said.
This story was originally published July 30, 2023 at 9:37 AM.
