Firefighters battling Lake Fire recover at rodeo grounds: 'Go out, do it again'

The Lake fire near Los Olivos is a non-stop battle for firefighters. They're using the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Grounds as their campsite.

“We have a full catering unit that can serve between 2,500 to 3,000 meals at a time," U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer Marc Peebles said. "We have a shower unit so those firefighters can get cleaned up. We have sleeping trailers that are here. Some firefighters like to sleep outside [in tents]."

From the Basin Fire , the French Fire , and now the Lake Fire at the Los Padres National Forest, Montes and his crew are now battling a fire that’s burned more than 27,000 acres.

“You can get by with minimal rest, but mainly food and water," woodland fire crew member Danny Montes said. "That's what keeps the boys going right there.”

Over 2,400 fire crew members are assigned to the fire. The base at the rodeo grounds in Santa Maria keeps them going.

“We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast, some hash browns," Montes said. "You get your yogurt, you get your food, you get all your proteins and nutrients [and] vitamins. After that, you get rolling."

Every 12 to 24 hours crew members rotate. It's a routine Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck knows all too well.

“We sleep really well," Safechuck said. "After a long 24-hour shift we recover and then we go out and do it again.”

A morning brief at base camp each morning lets the oncoming crew know what’s happened in the past 24 hours. It’s an ongoing cycle that will continue until the fire is 100% contained.

“We have to use hose lines so we can get in there safely," Safechuck added. "Coordinating with helicopters and air tankers to get our personnel in there. It's exhausting. It takes a lot of work. “

“It's a complete 360-degree effort to make sure those firefighters can do the work, and do so safely," Peebles said. "If something goes awry, we're there to support them. “

That support includes paramedic personnel ready via helicopter in case a firefighter gets injured.

“We're working in a lot of a remote area, steep terrain," Safechuck said of the conditions. "It's hard to access so it takes a lot of effort just to get to the fire's edge.”