Burnt Ranch Spike Camp

The Iron Complex started June 21, 2008

The first of six Incident Management Teams arrived June 22 to begin managing the incident.

In order to have a place for people to stay so they didn't have to drive so far to where they

were working on fires, they put a "spike" camp at the Burnt Ranch School.

  On the outside of town the sign says there are 315 people who live in Burnt Ranch -

         Firefighters staying in the schoolyard doubled the population.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered 240 soldiers from the California National

         Guard to help put out the fires around Burnt Ranch. The National Guard assignment

         was called "Task Force Shovel".

  Since June 21, there have been 20,000 firefighters in all of Trinity County.

Firefighters came to the Iron Complex * from 26 states, three Canadian Provinces, Australia, and New Zealand.

Twenty Six States, plus Washington DC

Pennsylvania

New York

Massachussetts

Virginia

Florida

Georgia

Michigan

Wisconsin

Missouri

Mississippi

Tennessee

Nebraska

Kansas

Oklahoma

Texas

New Mexico

Colorado

Montana

Idaho

Utah

Oregon

Washington

California

Nevada

Alaska

Hawaii

* These firefighters were not necessarily at the Burnt Ranch Spike Camp

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Photos Courtesy of The U.S. Forest Service