I am amazed at how many wild fires hit CA on a yearly basis (naturally, man made or on purpose). I am amazed at the fortitude of the firemen dealing with so many in a given year. I was watching the local news (here in AZ, where we also deal with wildfires but not to the extent of Cali)and I was watching this multi million dollar mansion in ruins and just was like, "what a waste" I am amazed that people build these huge homes in areas known for brush fires. But of course my prayers go out to those in harms way and those fireman fighting them daily.
Yeah, man. I have a couple of good friends who are volunteer firefighters. The guy at one point spent a week straight, without break, fighting in my area. He had a bandana to cover his mouth, and used a rock as a pillow. He said the toughest job was carrying a very heavy hose up a hillside to water down landing areas for helicopters.
His wife pulled off even longer stints, getting close to two weeks straight, IIRC.
A different friend's residence was right in the middle of it. He is a pretty brauny guy, doesn't get afraid of much, and he said he was scared as a little girl (the firefighters actually accepted his help). He said the firefighters were completely calm with fires that were tall as buildings right across little streets.
