Garnet Fire command post officially moves in to Harlan Ranch in Clovis
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's a moving day for those helping fire crews battling the Garnet Fire.
Fire crews left the command post they have outgrown at Avocado Lake -- their home since late August.
California Conservation Corps were packing up necessary fire equipment on Friday.
This move comes as it's been more than two weeks since lightning sparked the Garnet Fire.
"With the influx of new equipment and personnel, we just kind of out on the space," said Garnet Fire spokesman, Austin Gonzagowski. "We just needed somewhere else where we could expand."
That expansion found at the Ponds at Harlan Ranch in Clovis which stations crews over an hour away from the wildfire's edge.
Officials say the move is beneficial to the fire crews and personnel.
"If we can keep our firefighters fed; if we can keep them happy; and we can provide them the comfort they want, they can do you a better job on the ground," said Alex McBath, the Deputy Incident Commander for the California Interagency Incident Management Team 5.
Truck after truck, engine after engine, crews relocated Friday to the new incident command post -- a sprawling space of about 130 acres.
"The size of these apparatuses are extremely large. These large engines and ambulances and other equipment," said Gonzagowski.
Skyview 30 captured the space fire crews will take up by Friday evening. Spokesman Austin Gonzagowski says they were able to secure the Ponds at Harlan Ranch in Clovis for their new command post.
This comes as crews recently set up another camp at China Peak on Monday.
"When you have such a large complex incident like this, it's common for us to have an incident command post. That's a little bit of a way but also have multiple other camps that can help better support the incident," said Gonzagowski.
As logistics teams carefully break down the makeshift city at Avocado Lake, Gonzagowski said firefighters are still battling the massive Garnet Fire.
"Over the next several days I expect additional containment line through Bear Meadow and feeling really good about no issues with Blue Canyon," said Chief Chad Costa, Operations Section for CIIMT 5.
Keeping the flames out of Blue Canyon, just east of Shaver Lake has been an area of concern for nearby residents.
Machinery including over a dozen dozers and fire crews working day and night to build a contingency line in effort to to keep Shaver Lake safe.
That back-up begins on Dinkey Creek and goes south in Blue Canyon -- an area of thick forest and brush -- with severe beetle bark damage to trees.
As of Friday, September 12, the fire included more than 3,200 personnel.
"We've had a little growth in the last several operational periods. We've really, the weather's been favorable, and so we've been taking advantage of the favorable weather to ensure that we're securing our fire lines," said Gonzagowski.
Video shared with Action News shows the work crews are doing to secure the Garnet Fire. Gonzagowski said after significant growth, crews are doing all they can to secure the north portion of the fire line.
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