BCFD

This is an article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel

Jennifer Squires - Sentinel Staff Writer

A few tentative flames lick some roadside brush in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It's 2 p.m. on a hot, dry summer day and the humidity is low. This, firefighters say, is a bad day. Conditions are right for a wildland fire to burn out-of-control. As soon as the 911 calls begin rolling in, firefighters start rolling out. Seven Cal Fire engines, two hand crews, a dozer, an air tanker, a helicopter and an air attack plane -- to coordinate the firefighting from above -- are sent to the fire, regardless of size. In the first few minutes, fire officials assess the blaze and decide if more resources are needed or if some can be called off. This is the standard response during summer's high fire season, according to Fire Chief John Ferreira, head of Cal Fire Santa Cruz-San Mateo County. Battling wildfires is part science, part experience, and it's all based on the behavior of the fire. Ferreira, who has 36 years experience fighting fire, said it "becomes second nature because you've been doing it so long."

Fueling a fire On a windless day, a fire that ignites in a flat grassy field will burn in a circle.

That's not the type of wildfire that crews in Santa Cruz County and across the state have been dealing with this summer.