Coping on the fire line

Life for Ukiah firefighter Fernando Hernandez has taken on a distinct pattern over the past 18 days.

He rises early from his hotel bed, treks to the fire line on Orr Springs Road and combs the charred hillsides with his crew, dousing smoldering tree stumps.

An exhausted Hernandez returns after dark, chokes down a quick meal and hits the sack. When the alarm clock rings, he does it all again.

"It's a little like 'Groundhog Day,' " said the 27-year-old, who works for Cal Fire. "It's hard, but we're getting through it."

Nearly three weeks after the start of Mendocino County's lightning-strike fires, hundreds of firefighters from across the west and even Canada have converged on this rugged landscape, feeling the pain of long hours and extended time away from home.

They are working the fire lines in remote canyons and on steep slopes, alongside inmate crews and station mates.

Added to the usual concerns of fatigue and injury are poor cell phone reception with spouses, missed wedding anniversaries and homesickness.

And with just 60 percent containment of the county's 127 fires, the tour of duty could be considerably longer, officials said.

Cal Fire spokesman Steve Maiero said triple-digit heat makes corralling the blazes, which have so far consumed 51,200 acres, an "inch-by-inch game."

Many firefighters are pulling 14-day tours with a day off before returning for another two weeks. In some cases, firefighters can work up to 30 days straight.

Another two weeks in putting out the fires wouldn't be inconceivable, he said.

Fire suppression costs have topped $25 million, he said.

"If you're with the fire service in this area, you don't take family vacations in the summer," Maiero said.

There are few comforts in the grueling job.

A tent city went up at the Ukiah fairgrounds, and men and women battling the blazes are filling hotels. Local firefighters aren't allowed to go home at night because they are on 24-hour call, said Frank Kemper, another Cal Fire spokesman.

There's a misting tent at headquarters and ice chests are stacked on pallets near boxes of ready-to-eat meals.

All told, 1,744 people were working the county's fires Tuesday, he said.

Their daily routine includes morning briefings, sack lunches and restaurant vouchers for dinner. Firefighters are encouraged to consume about 6,000 calories a day, Maiero said.

With temperatures in Ukiah surpassing 110 degrees, they also are drinking lots of water. Cases of bottles hang from the backs of engines and pickups nearly everywhere and commanders implore crews to "stay hydrated."

"I carry about 12 bottles with me," said firefighter Josh Weaver, 21, of Hopland. "I drink a little more than most because I sweat more than other people."

Others said they had their sights on more than just water.

"I'm dreaming about a nice cold beer, to be honest," said firefighter Nathaniel O'Neill, 22, of Laytonville, who had been on the fire for more than two weeks.

But Hopland firefighter Noah Blum said there's little time for partying after a hot, hard day.

"I just try to get my laundry done and get to bed," said Blum, who has been on the fire 15 days.

Firefighters board trucks in the morning to make the winding drive west on Orr Springs Road to Montgomery Woods State Reserve, a redwood grove in a canyon dotted by fires. Along the way, residents have put up thank-you signs and meet them with coffee.

Brian Kornegy, the Orr fire regional commander, bucks the crews up with a speech resembling a football half-time pep talk.

After, he admits he can't wait for the fire to end.

"I love the park and everything, but I've seen enough of it the last two weeks," he said.

Up in the woods, at the top of a steep, half-mile trail best suited for mountain goats, one of his teams pours water on smoking trees and picks away at hot embers.

Firefighter Joe Darr, 24, of Laytonville said he uncovered red-hot rocks deep beneath the stump of a tree.

He said talking about home and hobbies with fellow firefighters helps him deal with the grind.

"We talk and joke around to keep morale up," he said. "I like to ride quads and do a lot of camping."

About a mile away, high on a ridge, firefighter Nick Lauria of Woodland Park, Colo. said the trick to enduring life on the front lines is good boots with wool socks.

With spotty cell reception in the steep canyons, text-messaging loved ones helps, too. Lauria said in the 13 days he's been away from home he talks to his wife frequently.

"She's fishing today," said Lauria, who was directing helicopters dropping water. "Caught a 3½-pound rainbow."

Staff Writer Paul Payne can be reached at 762-7297 and paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.