The Davis and UC Davis fire departments deployed strike teams in recent days to assist with several California wildfires.
Davis and UCD crews are part of a Yolo County strike team assigned to the Ranch 2 wildfire in Los Angeles County, which as of Tuesday evening spanned 4,300 acres since sparking on Aug. 13 and was about 19 percent contained. Fire investigators suspect it was caused by arson, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A second city of Davis rig is on the scene of the Hennessey Fire east of St. Helena in Napa County, which had scorched 2,700 acres with zero containment as of Tuesday night, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported. The cause remains under investigation.
The UCD Fire Department also dispatched personnel to the Jones Fire in Nevada County, which stood at 550 acres and five-percent containment as of Tuesday morning. The crew now assigned to the Ranch Fire previously worked the Lake Fire in the Angeles National Forest, which began Aug. 12 and stands at 38 percent containment after burning more than 21,000 acres.
Meanwhile, the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District warned Monday that smoke from the Hennessey Fire and Gamble Fire, also in Napa County, has been drifting into Solano and Yolo counties. Those sensitive to air quality are cautioned to remain indoors and keep doors and windows closed.
The Gamble Fire reached 5,000 acres in size with zero-percent containment as of shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday.