Thousands upon thousands of feet of hose line has been dragged into place. Fire lines have been scratched down to bare earth using dozers and hand tools. Helicopters and tankers have reinforced the lines to prevent the continued spread of flames and all of this is made possible by almost 3,000 firefighters, including members of the San José Fire Department.
The Summit Fire erupted in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 22, 2008. At 5:17 a.m. conditions were just right for a wildland blaze to take off as north winds blew across the ridge tops and through the mountain canyons, sometimes reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour. It's been over 100 years since fire has swept through this area leaving a tremendous amount of fuel to feed the advance of the fire.
Firefighters from San José are serving as members of a strike team tasked with protecting structures threatened by onrushing flames. The job is an inherently dangerous one as conditions are often unpredictable requiring firefighters to maintain constant situational awareness. In the case of the Summit Fire some 39 homes have been lost but approximately 600 residences were spared thanks to the efforts of firefighters.
From base camp at Gilroy's Christmas Hill Park to structure protection along Summit Road, the men and women of the fire service may now have the upper hand on the Summit Fire, but they also know that it is only May, and the 2008 fire season has just begun.Submitted by: SJFD Photographer, Craig Allyn Rose
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