Porterville firefighters dispatched to battle wildfires

Four members of the Porterville Fire Department were dispatched at 7 a.m. Monday to the Oak Glen Fire in San Bernadino County, about five miles north of Beaumont.

Joining Porterville City Engine 272 were an engine from Dinuba, Farmersville and two engines from Tulare County.

The fire, according to Engineer Dan Holloway, started at 1:45 p.m. Sunday and is under investigation. The fire had consumed about 1,000 acres, and was zero percent contain, he said.

Capt. David LaPere, Engineer Kevin Gray and firefighters Shannon Skiles and Allen DiViccaro of Porterville are among the 500-plus personnel working the blaze. In addition, 87 engines, 41 fire crews, 10 helicopters, eight dozers, six water tenders and four air tankers were involved in the attempt to contain the fire.

The fire conditions were reportedly extreme, and thousands of structures are threatened.

In addition, several fires were discovered burning Monday morning along Highway 155 near Kernville, according to Public Affairs Officer Denise Alonzo.

Some of the smaller fires burned together, resulting in three separate larger fires as of noon Monday, Alonzo said in a news release.

The Wofford Complex is being managed under unified command by the U.S. Forest Service and Kern County Fire Department.

Firefighters had contained 50 percent of the 75 acres burning.

Advisories were in place for Juniper Highlands and Mt. Shadows for possible evacuation. It was not a mandatory evacuation.

The fires were burning in light brush, grass and rocky terrain. More than 100 firefighters were on scene including two helicopters, five air tankers, four engines, five hand crews, 10 fire patrols and overhead personnel. The cause of the fires is under investigation.

In the wake of last week’s Big Meadow Fire, Strike Team Five was dispatched Thursday from the Office of Emergency Service to Yosemite National Park.

The five engines on the team were the City of Porterville, Kern County, City of Bakersfield, Fresno County and the City of Modesto.

The team, which includes Capt. Jeff Dodd, Engineer David Smith and firefighters Nick Perdue and Mike Brodbeck, will stay together until they are called to another fire or are not needed. The team is working in the Rancheria area doing structure protection.

The Big Meadow Fire started at about noon Wednesday. The fire was originally a 98-acre prescribed burn that crossed containment lines. As of Monday the fire was at 5,000 acres, and was about 55 percent contained. There were 968 personnel working that blaze.

-- Contact Anita Stackhouse-Hite at 784-5000, Ext. 1043, or astackhouse-hite@portervillerecorder.com.