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Busy camps serve needs of front-line California firefighters

In this Tuesday, July 26, 2016 photo, firefighters carry food and supplies past dozens of firefighter tents covering a field at a firefighter operations base camp that has been established at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., as smoke from the Sand fire looms up in the background. When a wildfire becomes too big for local departments to handle alone, an incident command network is activated to to coordinate the large numbers of people, equipment and supplies needed for these operational bases. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
In this Tuesday, July 26, 2016 photo, firefighters carry food and supplies past dozens of firefighter tents covering a field at a firefighter operations base camp that has been established at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., as smoke from the Sand fire looms up in the background. When a wildfire becomes too big for local departments to handle alone, an incident command network is activated to to coordinate the large numbers of people, equipment and supplies needed for these operational bases. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) In this Tuesday, July 26, 2016 photo, firefighters carry food and supplies past dozens of firefighter tents covering a field at a firefighter operations base camp that has been established at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., as smoke from the Sand fire looms up in the background. When a wildfire becomes too big for local departments to handle alone, an incident command network is activated to to coordinate the large numbers of people, equipment and supplies needed for these operational bases. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

By Associated Press 5 min read

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) – As flames from a raging wildfire raced down mountainsides last weekend toward houses tucked in canyons north of Los Angeles, a sprawling high school campus was transformed into a firefighting supply base – with tents on the football field and enough Gatorade and portable toilets for 3,000 firefighters.

Fuel tankers rolled into the parking lot of Golden Valley High so hundreds of fire trucks could quickly gas up and barrel back down vacant streets in Santa Clarita, where officials had ordered the evacuation of 20,000 residents.

As massive wildfires become the norm in tinder-dry California, the elaborate base camps and supply operations have become the backbone of fighting fires.

The camps are quickly established with military precision at all major fires in the state, with workers moving and preparing massive amounts of food and taking care of other necessities so firefighters can focus on saving lives and property.

After working 16-hour shifts, firefighters in Santa Clarita wearily walked straight to a mess tent next to a mobile kitchen. They shoveled down as much barbecued chicken and ribs as they wanted before passing out inside the tents until it was time to head back out.