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Local and Travis emergency responders battle, extinguish blaze

  • Published
  • By 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AFB, Calif., --  Emergency responders from Travis Air Force Base along with several fire departments from the local area battled through the night and into the morning to prevent an eight-alarm blaze from potentially spreading through Travis base housing Aug 16. 

The fire, that initially started off base at approximately 3 p.m., was finally contained around 3 a.m. leaving behind hot spots that crews will work to extinguish over the next few days. 

"Mayors Price and Augustine, Supervisor Reagan, on behalf of Team Travis' 10,000 family members I want to thank you for the rapid response we received from the local community," said Col. Mark Dillon, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander in a press conference held Aug. 17. 

"Our on-base firefighters were joined by our emergency response partners from Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun, Dixon, Cordelia, Benicia, Montezuma, Cal State, as well as several units from Napa and Yolo counties to prevent a potential disaster," he said. 

Emergency responders worked through the night and into the morning through high winds to keep the blaze contained and prevent further damage. The cause of the fire is not known at this time. 

"Something like this fire hasn't been seen on an Air Force base before," said John Speakman, Travis fire chief. "Knowing that they were all unoccupied houses made our job a bit easier so we could focus on preventing embers from hitting the occupied houses." 

167 units were destroyed and 11 were damaged. The units affected were scheduled for demolition that was expected to begin in the fall and be completed in December of 2009.
In total, there were approximately 220 on-base and local firefighters involved in battling the 12.4-acre blaze. 

"The fire was the worst-case scenario in many ways because of the high winds and the length of time the homes had been abandoned. They became tinder boxes," Chief Speakman explained. "So we worked to get the fire in the unoccupied houses out before it got to the occupied homes, the guys did a tremendous job out there." 

Event though many aspects of the fires were worst-case scenarios many positive things were highlighted. 

Two very positive aspects with the fire were noted by Vince Webster, Fairfield Fire Chief. 

"First there is the incredible teamwork we share with the on-base fire department. Second, was the proactive weed abatement measures the base has in place to keep the undergrowth cut back that prevented the fire from spreading further than it did."
Senior Airman Sherice Land, a Travis firefighter, received the call about the fire, dispatched personnel to the scene and then responded to the scene. 

"I provided exposure protection for the Youth Center," she said. "We were hooked up to a hydrant and stood by to make sure embers didn't reach the center." 

"We had units all around the perimeter of the fire, you looked to your right and your left and all you could see was fire," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Isaacs, a Travis firefighter. "You couldn't see five feet in front of you; but it's what we train for all the time, training for the big time." 

Thanks to the teamwork of all fire personnel, the blaze was contained and prevented from spreading despite all the challenges. 

"We have such a wonderful mutual aid partnership with our local partners. These assets made it possible to effectively fight the fire," said Chief Speakman. "In addition, we also had security forces and medical helping out to make sure everyone was safe and healthy." 

"This fire turned into a huge win not only for Travis, but for our partners in the local communities as well," said Colonel Dillon. "The combined efforts of all firefighters involved prevented a serious disaster from spreading further." 

Due to the lingering smoke odor, the Youth Center will be closed Aug. 18 and activities are arranged for the remainder of the week while the center is closed.