After working for 11 days on the Lake fire, north of Los Angeles, the Morongo Valley firefighters on Brush Engine 461 went straight to a new fire, the SCU Lightning Complex fire. The SCU Lightning Complex fire is the largest fire ever in California and has burned more than 365,000 acres in five counties in northern California: Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Counties. The fire, which started August 18, is just 25 percent contained. The Morongo Valley firefighters, Captain Brennain Gorter, and Firefighters Joel Romero and Gilbert Vasquez, were assigned to Strike Team 6220C at the Lake Fire, and the entire strike team was sent north to help at the SCU fire. They are working 24 hour shifts and are expected to be at the fire for quite some time.
