Along Monterey’s Big Sur coast in California, the job of responding to “fire starts” rests on the shoulders of Los Padres National Forest firefighters and their partners at the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade as Monterey County doesn’t have a fire department. When a coastal landowner’s pile burn project went awry Feb. 7, firefighters from the forest and volunteer fire brigade led the initial attack that quashed what became known as the Alder fire at less than five acres.
One of the first on-scene was Steven Dean, from Patrol 18 on the Monterey Ranger District. Once firefighters got a handle on the blaze, Dean snapped a series of photos documenting the mop-up work. In this photo, Los Padres firefighter Kevin Poyner (facing camera) and John Knight of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade appear to have one foot “in the black” and the other in the Pacific Ocean. In reality, the two men have ample room between their position and the cliffs leading down to the beach.
Monterey’s coastal side is extremely dry for this time of year, and the district is cautioning local residents of the dangers of escaped pile burns due to unpredictable coastal winds that can gust without warning. Fuel moisture levels across Los Padres National Forest are well below average, but Monterey—which typically receives more rainfall than the southern districts—is reporting some of the lowest moisture levels on the forest. In California, fire season occurs year round. For communities along the majestic Big Sur coast, there is peace of mind knowing forest and volunteer firefighters are poised and ready to tackle fires that break out at any time of the year.
Follow this link for more on the agency’s fire fighting mission.