Live Oak Campground Serves As Base Camp For Rey Fire Fight

About 1,400 firefighers are calling Live Oak Campground home as they fight the Rey fire burning near Santa Barbara.

Some of them are staying in individual tents, others are sleeping in sleeper trucks.

Since the Rey fire started last Thursday the campground has been turned into a base camp with a Main St., a laundry mat, showers, dining area and more.

Crews from the California Conservation Corps set it up and will take it down when the fire in no longer a threat. They are young people who sign up for a year’s work that may lead to similar jobs in the future.

There are also inmate crews working the fire in orange jumpsuits.

And there are highly skilled firefighters who have been flown in from out of the state.

Rey ffire information officer Brendan Halle of San Diego said years of drought has led to explosive fire behavior all over the state.

“We are fighting fire caused by water we don’t have with water we don’t really have,” Halle said.

Smoke created ash in and around the base camp on Monday night giving firefighters a nice view of what looked like a burning sunset.

The fire has burned more than 27,000 acres. If it surpasses 30, 000 acres it will be 47 square miles.

Crews watching a evening briefing about safety and assignments said the Rey fire was only 20% contained.

It began near a ranch with Rey in the name. It also started near downed power lines.

But the cause of the fire has not been explained.