Creek Fire: Retired firefighter, volunteer firefighter defend their Shaver Lake neighborhood from flames
A retired firefighter, volunteer firefighter, and CAL FIRE crews worked together to prevent the Creek Fire from destroying Ockenden Ranch near Shaver Lake.
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A retired firefighter, volunteer firefighter, and CAL FIRE crews worked together to prevent the Creek Fire from destroying Ockenden Ranch near Shaver Lake.
Tory Lysdahl-Goss and David Goss, who is a Shaver Lake volunteer firefighter, refused to evacuate.
Their neighbor Pat Caprioli, a former Bakersfield firefighter, also stayed behind.
Goss and Caprioli have been preparing for a fire like this for years and wanted to help crews protect their homes.
"We had 300 feet of hose on each corner of our house, the professional firefighting hose. We had foam prepared to foam our decks," Goss said.
On Monday, the flames of the Creek Fire came close to their home, sparking small embers which then turned into full-blown flames.
"That fire was so hot, many times it sounded like a jet going by," Goss said.
It was a dual effort as Goss and Caprioli protected homes, while CAL FIRE worked on protecting the entire neighborhood.
"What we didn't know is that we had 6 dozers cutting a line around our whole development," Caprioli said.
CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Seth Brown says one of their main priorities is structure protection, and in this fire, their primary tactic is called point protection.
"The plan is to let the fire go around the structures. We can protect more structures that way," Brown said
CAL FIRE crews ensured that Ockenden Ranch is still standing.
Fire officials remind folks that if you are under an evacuation warning, you should start preparing your belongings to leave quickly and bring in flammable items that are outdoors.
