Source: Cal Fire\/County Fire<\/p>\n
Photo by Ryan Grothe, Cal Fire: Copter 609 used in air rescue<\/p>\n
July 28, 2026 (Ramona) \u2014 Two individuals trapped by the rapidly advancing Creelman Fire were air rescued by Copter 609, CAL FIRE, and San Diego County Fire\u2019s newly assigned Sikorsky S-70i CAL FIRE HAWK helicopter stationed at the Ramona Air Attack Base on Wednesday, July while supporting aggressive initial attack on wildfires.<\/p>\n
The Creelman Fire ignited on Wednesday afternoon near Ramona, prompting a large multi-agency response, including all the aircraft out of Ramona Air Attack Base, as firefighters worked to contain a fast-moving wildfire threatening nearby communities. Within the first 20 minutes of the incident, emergency dispatchers received reports of two individuals who had become trapped in a remote area after the fire cut off their escape route.<\/p>\n
While reloading with water for firefighting operations, the crew aboard Copter 609 heard the emergency radio traffic regarding the stranded victims. Using the reported information and intelligence from ground crews, the flight crew estimated the victims\u2019 location and responded to the vicinity.<\/p>\n
Once in the area, the helicopter conducted a low-level reconnaissance flight and successfully located the victims. To improve conditions for a safe landing, the crew delivered a water drop near the victims\u2019 vehicle, temporarily reducing fire activity and creating a buffer zone. The helicopter then landed nearby, allowing two CAL FIRE Helitack firefighters to exit the aircraft, confirm the victims were the individuals who had called 9-1-1, and safely load them aboard.<\/p>\n
The victims were transported by helicopter to a waiting San Diego County Fire paramedic ambulance, where they were evaluated before being safely reunited with their family members, unharmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis rescue demonstrates the extraordinary versatility of our aviation program and the professionalism of our Helitack crews,\u201d said Unit and Fire Chief Tony Mecham of San Diego County Fire. \u201cWithin minutes, our firefighters transitioned from aggressive wildfire suppression to a life-saving rescue, safely removed two civilians from harm\u2019s way, and immediately returned to protecting lives, property, and natural resources. Their actions are a direct reflection of the dedication of our personnel and the continued investments made by the County of San Diego and the State of California to provide world-class emergency services to the communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the successful rescue, Copter 609 immediately returned to suppression operations, delivering more than 50 water drops over the next four hours in support of firefighters battling the blaze.<\/p>\n
The Creelman Fire rapidly grew to nearly 350 acres within just a few hours, prompting a response of approximately 300 firefighters from multiple cooperating agencies. Firefighters worked in close coordination with the San Diego County Sheriff\u2019s Office as evacuation orders and warnings were issued for nearly 1,500 residents.<\/p>\n
The incident also highlighted the capabilities of the recently modernized Ramona Air Attack Base. During the initial attack, the base\u2019s newly constructed retardant mix-plant loaded approximately 59,000 gallons of fire retardant. The response included 16 aircraft, including two Air Attack platforms, eight air tankers, and six helicopters, two of which conducted nighttime firefighting operations.<\/p>\n
The Creelman Fire was declared 100% contained at 7:00 p.m. on July 24. Thanks to the rapid, coordinated response of first responders, no significant structural damage occurred, and no major injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
The Creelman Fire underscores the profound challenges posed by wildfires, which can escalate swiftly and alter local conditions with little warning. This incident demonstrates not only the critical importance of resident preparedness, but also the vital role of coordinated emergency response systems in safeguarding communities. The rapid and effective intervention by the CAL FIRE Helitack crew exemplifies the value of continuous investment in specialized training and modern firefighting resources. Moving forward, residents must remain vigilant regarding fire conditions, respond promptly to evacuation warnings and orders, and proactively develop comprehensive evacuation plans. These individual and collective measures are essential for enhancing community resilience and mitigating the potentially devastating effects of future wildfires.<\/p>\n
About the CAL FIRE Air Rescue Program:<\/p>\n
The CAL FIRE Air Rescue Program was born out of a commitment to \u201crescue our own.\u201d Following the 1987 Kneeland Helitack burnover, which claimed the life of Firefighter Denis Lee Cullins, CAL FIRE began developing the capability to integrate rescue operations into its primary firefighting mission. What started as an internal safety initiative has since evolved into a standardized statewide air rescue program, enabling CAL FIRE helicopters to perform life-saving rescues for firefighters and civilians throughout California.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Source: Cal Fire\/County Fire Photo by Ryan Grothe, Cal Fire: Copter 609 used in air rescue July 28,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":965523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,7292,387938,276,387939,367468,54833,3549,7264,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-965522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-america","tag-ca","tag-cal-fire","tag-cal-fire-hawk","tag-california","tag-creelman-fire","tag-news-flasher","tag-ramona-air-attack-base","tag-san-diego","tag-sandiego","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117000092300501618","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=965522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/965523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=965522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=965522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=965522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}