Help comes from miles away

Firefighters from all over the state came to the rescue Monday as they worked with local crew members to extinguish the Oak Glen and Pendleton fires Monday in Yucaipa.

Trucks from El Segundo and Anaheim weer spotted at the fire lines, along with jackets that read "Huntington Beach" and helmets that said "Santa Ana."

Fire Capt. Sal Gutierrez and his firefighters made the trek from Central California to help. The crew of 21 drove from Kings County, south of Fresno.

The agency strike team was assigned to structure protection and watched over the Fremont Heights Mobile Home Park in Yucaipa that sat at the base of the Pendleton Fire.

"We're here to make sure the structures don't burn," Gutierrez said.

In the hills above them, firefighters sparked fire breaks and bulldozers cleared dirt.

Gutierrez said they were creating a barrier around the park.

"We're hitting it real hard to try and slow it down," he said.

As they waited for more instruction, the visiting firefighters watched in awe when a DC-10 airplane dropped about 12,000 gallons of retardant over the flames.

By 6:30 p.m., the Pendleton Fire had burned more than 100 acres but no structures had burned. Fire officials said it was moving east, away from the neighborhoods of Yucaipa and toward the Oak Glen fire.

"Once it's clear, once it's burned, we'll be able to leave to help keep other houses safe," Gutierrez said.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com