VIDEO: Hundreds of Southern California firefighters gathered near Lake Skinner Thursday afternoon to participate in wildfire training. Part of a much larger operation statewide, the crews made up of more than 400 firefighters with 14 different Calfire agencies, were on hand to practice wildfire control.
They practiced on a 55-acre plot of state land, where they practiced fighting fire with fire - using drip torches, hot-shot flares, handgun-style stubbies and something called a "terra-torch," a flamethrower of sorts that allows the user to create flames in a very specific location, often used on dry weeds and vegetation that act as fuel for wildfires.
"As a strategic goal of Cal fire and for the governor, we try and treat 500,000 acres throughout the state," said Calfire Riverside Battalion Chief Josh Janssen, who detailed how the live fire training was crucial to not only help prevent devastating wildfires, but to prepare crews in advance of the hot, dry summer ahead.