Mexican fire crews arrive in Tulare County to fight Sequoia Complex on park's 130th birthday

LAKE ISABELLA — On Sequoia National Park’s 130th birthday, the jewel of the Sierra Nevada received a desperately needed gift: 100 Mexican firefighters who made the long journey from Guadalajara to assist in the battle against the SQF Complex that threatens the famous giant trees and several Tulare County mountain communities.

Firefighters from 22 Mexican states filled the bleachers of Kern Valley High School on Friday as California officials warmly greeted and thanked the men and women for their help, highlighting a partnership between the two countries that stretches back to the 1980s, agency leaders said.

“We would like to thank the leadership of Mexico for sending you to help us during a time of historical need in a record fire season,” Incident Commander Mike Milton told the crowd clad in yellow jackets and green Nomex. “California is dealing with some of the most challenging wildland fire in the state’s history.“

He said international aid is crucial as the Golden State grapples with a brutal fire season that has scorched more than 3.6 million acres, destroyed 6,700 structures and killed 26 people.

The SQF Complex has scorched 150,000 acres and destroyed more than 200 structures, forcing thousands of people to evacuate eastern Tulare County earlier this month. It's nearly half contained after weeks without progress. 

The Mexican crews will begin working Saturday on the fire’s southern edge to defend the Tule River Indian Reservation in the southern Sierra foothills. Crews will work “hand in hand” with 1,400 other firefighters already on the front lines to battle the blaze before returning home safely, officials said.

Milton spoke of the Sierra’s unique geography that is beautiful to behold but can pose challenges for firefighters with its thick blanket of dense vegetation and dried-out trees.

"You will likely get the opportunity to see some of the largest trees on the planet ... Each one of those (Giant Sequoia) groves are highly important values that are at risk of this fire," he said. “Life is just a series of experiences, and we hope this experience is one you will carry back with you to your home country and make you a better firefighter."

For Mathlla Cortina of Veracruz, the sequoias are a familiar sight. She spent three months in the national forest learning about California’s uniquely dry conditions during a 2018 exchange program.

“I’m very excited to return (to Sequoia National Forest) with all of my colleagues from CONAFOR (the National Forestry Commission of Mexico),” she said via a translator. “We’re looking forward to returning home safely and applying the knowledge we learn on the fire line.”

Though it’s the wet season in most of Mexico now, Cortina says “more fires in more parts of the country” are becoming the norm as climate change causes drier conditions to creep closer toward the equator.

CONAFOR firefighters have also been deployed to Chile, Canada and many other countries under international mutual aid agreements.

"Fires do not have borders, fires do not have different languages and cultures. In the end we all speak the same language when it comes to fighting fire," said Eduardo Cruz, the Mexican agency's fire director.

Decades ago, Cruz spent a "career-defining" summer in the Sequoia National Forest, he said. It was above the Giant Sequoias that Cruz learned to orchestrate a helicopter attack, dropping thousands of gallons of water and retardant from hundreds of feet in the air.

"It's a pleasant feeling coming back to provide support for this major incident ... We understand the historic importance of the sequoia," he said.

The SQF Complex has so far spared many of the famed trees from serious damage. The redwoods are “friends of fire” and depend on low-intensity flames to reproduce and clear the forest floor of competitors. High-intensity blazes, though, can damage and even kill the massive monarchs that grow in just two California ranges.

"It takes time to assess the damages to the Giant Sequoia. Early evidence shows a mixed intensity of fires that may even be beneficial for the trees in the long-term," Milton said.

The Sequoia National Park and forest will remain closed while firefighters from around the globe work to contain the SQF Complex. Park officials called the closure a "significant bummer" but a necessary measure to keep people safe. The park’s entrance and headquarters remain under a mandatory evacuation order with fires burning on the park’s southern edge.

“This is not how we were expecting to celebrate our 130th birthday," said Perri Spreiser, the park's fire information officer. "Deciding to close the park was not an easy decision to make."

Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks and housing for the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.