A Cal Fire Employee Fights Fires at Work -- and at Home

Fire department personnel have been working around the clock to combat the many fires raging across the state.

Some are continuing to do their jobs, even as they too face displacement.

Tricia Austin, a fire prevention specialist working for CalFire’s Mendocino Unit, has been both professionally and personally affected by the flames.

Austin and her family had to evacuate their home in Lakeport near the Mendocino National Forest over the weekend.

She arranged for her nephew to take her 86-year-old mother to Roseville, and sent her pets to Sacramento with a friend.

“Once my family was removed from the situation, then I was able to focus on my job and I didn’t have to worry,” Austin said.

The two wildfires burning in Mendocino and Lake Counties since Friday afternoon have already charred 56,000 acres.

Nearly 1,400 firefighters from across the state and beyond are tackling the blazes.

Austin said she has been living in Lake County for 47 years. She’s been through many fires, including last year’s fierce blaze in Mendocino County’s Redwood Valley.

“I went through the Valley Fire, which is one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Austin said. “Having grown up in this rugged terrain, in the wild land, it’s kind of something that my family’s dealt with our entire lives.”

Austin said she plans to spend the next few weeks helping other residents affected by the fires. She added that a few other Cal Fire employees are dealing with fire evacuations outside of work.