A firefighter battling the explosive Kincade Fire near Geyserville was forced to deploy his personal fire shelter to prevent two residents from being overcome by flames as the blaze surged Friday evening, state officials said.
Fire shelters are used as a last resort, and the rescue, at about 6:20 p.m. Friday, prompted deep alarm among crews at the Sonoma County blaze.
Cal Fire said the firefighter and the two civilians were expected to survive. All three were taken by ground ambulance to a hospital “for evaluation,” Cal Fire said in a statement. “All injuries appear to be non-life-threatening.” “While working on an active portion of the fire, the firefighter came across two civilians who were attempting to evacuate from the fire when fire activity intensified,” officials said. “At that point the firefighter was forced to deploy his fire shelter, where he shielded them from fire.”