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Tag: Brian Finnessy

Firefighters burned at Silverado Fire are still hospitalized

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 14 Comments on Firefighters burned at Silverado Fire are still hospitalized

They have second and third-degree burns

Silverado Fire dozers
A dozer working on the Silverado Fire not far from the heel of the fire near Dripping Springs Loop, at 11:18 a.m. PDT Monday October 26, 2020. NBCLA.

The two firefighters on an Orange County hand crew that were seriously injured Monday on the Silverado Fire in Southern California, suffering second and third degree burns, are still in critical condition. Their names have not been released. The firefighters were intubated when they were admitted to the hospital, but they are still fighting, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Finnessy said Wednesday morning.

On Monday when the Chief first announced the incident he said they had been gravely injured.

“They were working near what we call the heel of the fire, where the fire started,” the Chief said then. “We don’t have any information about what occurred. We have requested an accident review team from the state to come in and do the investigation… I was with them when their families arrived. We are giving them all the support we can, not only through our chaplain program, but we have a very comprehensive peer behavioral health program.”

Wednesday I asked the Chief if there was an address to which we could send cards or letters to the firefighters and their families.

“The families would be so grateful to receive cards or letters,” the Chief said. “They are just now realizing how the fire and aviation family comes together during times like this.”

Here is the address:

OCFA
Attn: Injured OCFA Hand Crew Firefighters
1 Fire Authority Road
Irvine, CA 92602

Even though we don’t know their names, let’s flood them with kindness, cards, and letters.

UPDATE October 30, 2020:

For those who wish to help, there are two ways to make a monetary donation to support the costs associated with the long healing process of these burn victims, and to support their families:

Wildland Firefighter Foundation. You can choose “yes” to dedicate the donation as a gift to someone, then, for example, you can specify the two firefighters critically injured at the Silverado Fire.
www.Wffoundation.org

Fallen Firefighters Relief Fund. Created October 28, 2020 by Orange County Local 3631 as a fundraiser “in support of two firefighters critically injured while protecting our community battling the Silverado Fire.”
www.gofundme.com/f/orange-county-ca-firefighters

Two fires in Orange County, Calif. have burned over 27,000 acres

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , , , 4 Comments on Two fires in Orange County, Calif. have burned over 27,000 acres

Update on the Blue Ridge and Silverado fires

Updated October 29, 2020   |    8:16 a.m. PDT

The map shows the perimeters of the Blue Ridge and Silverado Fires, mapped between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. PDT Oct. 28, 2020. You can zoom in and move around on the map.

Evacuation updates from the Orange County Fire Authority at about 4 p.m. October 28:

Blue Ridge Fire:
•All evacuation orders and warnings related to the Blue Ridge Fire have been lifted effective immediately.

Silverado Fire:
•All evacuation orders are lifted in the City of Irvine
•Some evacuation zones still remain in place for the City of Lake Forest
•Some evacuation zones are lifted for unincorporated areas of Orange County near El Toro Road and Valley Vista

Refer to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department interactive evacuation map for details.

Southern California Edison said it is investigating whether electrical equipment may have caused the Silverado fire. The company reported to the state Public Utilities Commission that a “lashing wire” attached to a third-party telecommunications line may have struck a primary conductor.

October 28, 2020   |    11:16 a.m. PDT

Map of Blue Ridge and Silverado Fires
Map of Blue Ridge and Silverado Fires Oct 28, 2020

On Tuesday firefighters working on the two large wildfires in Orange County California had their hands full doing their best to contain the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires.

Strong winds pushed the Blue Ridge Fire west where it approached Gas County Road on the east side of Yorba Linda, and also to the north toward Chino Hills and Soquel Canyon Parkway. As the wind direction shifted during the day firefighters on the east side battled, mostly successfully, to keep it from crossing Highway 71 just north of Highway 91.

The Silverado Fire near Irvine has remained west and south of Santiago Canyon Road. Firefighters conducted a firing operation overnight on the southeast side of the fire.

Tuesday night after 11 p.m. the wind decreased substantially and there was very little significant spread of either fire the rest of the night.

The two fires are being managed under one organization by CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 6 that assumed command at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department website has the latest information about evacuations.

The latest mapping shows the Silverado Fire at 13,354 acres and the Blue Ridge Fire at 14,334 acres.

The map below shows heat detected by an aircraft on the Blue Ridge Fire in Orange, County, California at 10 p.m. PDT Oct. 27, 2020. Most of the vegetation is light, such as grass or brush, and cools a few hours after burning. The fire perimeter is not shown. Yellow is scattered heat, red is isolated heat, and the small brown area is intense heat. You can zoom in and move around on the map.

Status of the two injured firefighters

The two firefighters that were seriously injured Monday on the Silverado Fire, suffering second and third degree burns, are still in critical condition. Their names have not been released. The firefighters were intubated when they were admitted to the hospital, but they are still fighting, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Finnessy said Wednesday morning.

I asked the Chief if there was an address to which we could send cards or letters to the firefighters and their families.

“The families would be so grateful to receive cards or letters,” the Chief said. “They are just now realizing how the fire and aviation family comes together during times like this.”

Here is the address:

OCFA
Attn: Injured OCFA Hand Crew Firefighters
1 Fire Authority Road
Irvine, CA 92602

Let’s flood them with kindness, cards, and letters.