One of the remarkable things about watching CalFire work happens as they arrive to the scene of a wildfire and set up nearby incident command centers, miniature portable cities with facilities like showers, briefing areas where commanders present firefighters with relevant maps and weather conditions, and full kitchens.
One of the remarkable things about watching CalFire work happens as they arrive to the scene of a wildfire and set up nearby incident command centers, miniature portable cities with facilities like showers, briefing areas where commanders present firefighters with relevant maps and weather conditions, and full kitchens.
It's no surprise that the cost of firefighting personnel, equipment and setting up and stocking an incident command center are costly.
But what's rare is for someone to get a bill.
After a prescribed burn jumped the fire line on Bill Massa's Rat Camp Ranch near Chualar in March of 2014, Massa—a well-known figure in the Salinas produce shipping business—got a bill from CalFire 18 months later for a total of $527,003.30.