Crime & Safety
Local Firefighters Return From Battling Rim Fire
The crew was on the fire lines for a week.
A strike team of firefighters from Santa Cruz County is back after spending a week fighting the gigantic Rim Fire in the Yosemite area.
The Santa Cruz Fire Department shared the above photo and this update via Facebook on Tuesday morning:
"The Strike Team from Santa Cruz County has returned after assisting on the Rim fire for a week. Happy to have them back!"
The team, composed of firefighters and fire equipment from several departments, left around 10 p.m. Aug. 27.
The Rim Fire, which ignited Aug. 17 in a remote area of Stanislaus National Forest, is the fourth largest in California's history. It has consumed more than 348 square miles of forest land in and around Yosemite National Park, and destroyed 111 structures—11 of them homes.
Thousands of firefighters from across the nation were called in to battle the stubborn fire. As of Monday night, the blaze was 70 percent contained, according to CalFire. Full containment is not expected until Sept. 20.
No official cause has been reported, but least one fire official from the region has said the blaze may have been sparked by illegal marijuana growers.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
