Eric Ting
SFGate, San Francisco
A video shared by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office shows a nighttime helicopter rescue of two Marin County firefighters battling the Woodward Fire in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The sheriff’s office said it received a request at 8:15 p.m. Friday night to send its helicopter Henry 1 to the site of the fire to rescue two firefighters who were trapped in heavy brush on a ridge line. The firefighters could not find a safe path away from the fast-moving fire.
A rescue team used a 100-foot line to save the two firefighters, who were just 75 yards away from the fire when the helicopter arrived. The video shows just how close the fire was at the time of the rescue.
“Do you want us to take them with us still?” one of the firefighter asks of their gear.
“No, I’ve got to get you out of here,” the rescue team member replies. “It’s like, right there.”
Throughout the video, the high winds can be heard swirling in the background. After the harnesses are attached to the firefighters and the three start to float away, they all look down at the approaching fire.
“You see how close it is, guys?” the rescue team member asks.
“Yeah, f—,” says the firefighter.
The Woodward Fire has burned 2,259 acres and is at 5% containment. Multiple helicopters, tankers and super scoopers have been used against it, and Cal Fire expects a federal management team to arrive on Sunday.
The evacuation warning area has been expanded to include Olema, Inverness, Inverness Park and Sea Haven.
https://www.facebook.com/sonoma.sheriff/posts/3585178351506712
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