Geyserville firefighters send strike team to Lake County

On Sunday at 5:40 p.m., three Geyserville firefighters were dispatched to the Wye Fire in Lake County as part of a strike team.

Geyserville Fire Chief Paul Pigoni said he thinks they will be gone for about a week.

A strike team is five engines of a certain type with a minimum of 16-20 firefighters and a leader in a pickup.

The Wye fire began Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53 on the east side of Clearlake. The fire moved quickly and threatened structures in its path.

As a part of Strike Team 2379C, the Geyserville team went directly to the site and were given an assignment. The firefighters on Engine 6171 were Capt. Mack Montanye, Lt. Jose Carillo and firefighter Brett Thatcher.

They spent the first 25 hours responding to immediate fire needs, fighting the fire and saving structures. Finally, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, they were released to the fire camp along with other members of the strike team to shower, eat and get some sleep.

Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. they were assigned to the Walker Fire, which also has been burning since Sunday on Walker Ridge near the Lake County/Colusa County border. They will be on that fire line for 24 hours, Pigoni said.