> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # SM firefighters save homes, stave off flames - URL: https://www.smdp.com/sm-firefighters-save-homes-stave-off-flames/ - Published: 2003-10-30T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:08:47.000Z - Author: Carolyn Sackariason - Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import *SMFD crew fighting Stevenson Ranch wildfire* The wildfires blazing through Southern California have gotten so out of control that the Santa Monica Fire Department has sent an unprecedented amount of resources into the battlegrounds. Not only are the SMFD’s two designated engines that are part of a statewide mutual aid team on the front lines, another crew was called into emergency duty Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve never sent three engines before,” said Capt. Lee McNett, who returned from the front line on Monday. SMFD Chief Jim Hone said he received a call Wednesday for “immediate need for structure and life protection” at the “Old Fire” near Lake Arrowhead. Four additional Santa Monica firefighters joined Beverly Hills, Culver City and the City of Los Angeles engine companies to create what’s known as a “Strike Team.” Hone said he deployed off-duty firefighters who are using the department’s reserve engine. “We are now maxed out but still have resources in the city,” he said. The nine local firefighters who were deployed at the outset of the Southern California wildfires spent more than 60 hours battling flames with little or no rest. They were successful in saving dozens of homes. McNett, who led Engine No. 3, said the mission was extremely intense. The winds, the heat and the pure physical exhaustion made for a long deployment. Santa Monica’s two engines, which were part of the five-engine strike team, were first deployed on Saturday at about 2:30 a.m. They battled flames in four different areas and had a close call toward the end of their mission when a spot fire ignited next to their engine company. McNett, along with eight other Santa Monica firefighters and engine companies from Culver City and Beverly Hills, were stationed on Tierra Rejada Road near the Ronald Reagan Library when the fire broke out next to them, giving them only four minutes to deploy. They immediately went to a nearby ranch house that they earlier had asked the owner to evacuate. As McNett went in to check the home and turn off the utilities so it could be used as a safe zone, he not only found the owner inside, but also five protective dogs. “As I went in, I actually got bit by a dog and then four pitbulls were backing him up,” McNett said. “I had to retreat out of the house.” The man who owned the ranch was “absolutely panicked,” because the fire surrounded the area so quickly. McNett said they took the man with them because there was no other safe place for him to go. When the Santa Monica crew first deployed, they went to the Devalle command post and received orders to protect the city of Piru. “The immediate need was to protect structures,” McNett said, adding each engine can guard about two or three homes at once. “Then we made a stand against the fire.” > “The immediate need was to protect structures. Then we made a stand against the fire.” — — CAPT. LEE McNETT SMFD The first deployment was between Piru Road and Interstate 5\. Crews make what’s called a “hot lap,” which is a quick assessment of the area to determine where to set up hoses and other utilities. “Then we wait for the fire to come,” McNett said. “We stay low, let it go over the top of you and then go fight it.” Each engine has a 500-gallon tank apparatus, a captain and three firefighters. Because it was at the outset and so many fires were burning at one time, the crew had to work around the clock. “So many of them started at once that there weren’t enough resources,” McNett said. “If fatigue sets in, we take a break. It’s tough and if you do rest, you’re on the ground.” Then the winds kicked up in the middle of the night, which kept crews constantly scanning the area for new fires. The crew made a stand at Highway 26 near Newhall Orchard, watched it go over a hill and into another canyon where they followed the flames into the city of Moorpark near Highway 118\. Another stand was made on the 23 Freeway, where crews were successful in stopping flames. The last deployment was made on Tierra Rejada Road, where crews also were successful in saving structures. “You deploy where you can do the most good,” McNett said. “It was really challenging and it was really exciting.” Another crew relieved McNett’s team on Monday. They are currently battling blazes at Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley and are expected to be out in the field until today. The SMFD has several firefighters trained in brush fires and they are assigned to what are called “brush engines” which are part of the strike team. McNett said the crews go around the state every year fighting wildfires, including the 1993 Malibu firestorm that took 300 homes. McNett said many homes were saved because developers have adhered to regulations that require property around structures to be cleared of brush that is highly burnable. “They learned that from the Malibu fires,” McNett said. “It really helped.” McNett’s team has more than 150 years of firefighting experience combined. McNett, who’s been a firefighter for 23 years, said rookie firefighter Matt Norris did an excellent job battling his first major wildfire. “He had a cool head under fire,” McNett said. “He’s on his way for a successful career.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 30, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/103003.pdf?ref=smdp.com)