A 20-person wild land firefighting crew returned to West Virginia Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014, after serving a 14-day tour of duty in California. The crew, composed of 16 West Virginia Division of Forestry staff members and four specially trained volunteer firefighters, worked on the Beaver Fire in Klamath National Forest in northern California. Lightning started the Beaver Fire on July 30, 2014. To date, the Beaver Fire has burned more than 32,000 acres and is 95 percent contained.
The crew, officially known as WVC #1, left Charleston Monday, Aug. 4, 2014, and met with other west-bound crews in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before flying to California Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014.
During their 14-day tour of duty, crew members worked 16-hour shifts and performed varied tasks, including structure protection.
Pictures taken by crew members are posted on the Division of Forestry’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wvforestry.