In a matter of seconds, a California rescue crew became the ones who needed rescuing.
The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians tribal fire crew lost every bit of gear and the fire rigs they brought with them to the fire lines to battle lightning-caused fires in the Six Rivers National Forest.
Fire Chief Dave Whitt told KCRA News "What was damaged was a complete and total loss of both vehicles. One vehicle, literally, there is nothing left."
Whitt claims the crew parked in what would be considered a safe location, but conditions changed very quickly.
"It went from ground fire to ladders, to torch, to crown in less than 30 seconds," he said.
Tents, tools, sleeping bags, personal items, food and their mode of transportation were all gone.
"We had almost a million dollars worth of fire apparatus lost," Whitt said. "But nobody's hurt. Everybody's safe."
Luckily, one of the firefighters came up with the idea of going to the Red Cross, which had set up camp to house evacuees.
"It's kind of unusual because the firefighters usually call the Red Cross to help the citizens," Whitt said. "We don't usually become the receiving end of their graciousness."
