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NMI Hotshots return from fighting Calif. wildfires
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Posted on Aug 21 2008
Eleven local firefighters returned last week after battling the northern California wildfires for more than a month.
Twenty members of the CNMI Hotshot crew deployed July 1 to fight the hundreds of wildfires blanketing the state. The nine members who did not return stayed in the States or are taking time off.
“I want to welcome back our troops,” Anthony Babauta, chief of the team, said Thursday. “We extend our appreciate to their wives and families for their support.”
Babauta said the conditions near the fires were intense.
“You have to be really physically fit,” he said. “It was hard climbing at first. I applaud my guys for working with me”
A chopper had to drop the firefighters off 4.5 miles away because of the fires’ intensity, Babauta said. The crew fought fires in northern California near Redding.
The crew trained for about a week leading up to the deployment, he said. More time to train would be helpful, he added.
“We did a good job in the short time we had,” he said.
Guam, American Samoa and Hawaii crews also took part in the firefighting effort. The Guam crew is still in California, Babauta said.
Hotshot crewmember Frank Mafnas said the experience was scary at times. The crew often worked 16-hour days, he added.
“It was hard, but it was for a good cause,” he said. “And they were proud of us.”
Babauta said the Hotshot crew gets called up once a year or once every two years.
The other members of the crew were: Angelo Tudela, Jesus Santos, Jonathan Kapileo, Eugene Borja, Glenn Garde and Karl Litulumar.
