Chilling Photograph of Firefighters Battling the Wildfires Shows How Much They Need Our Prayers
The Mendocino Complex fire in northern California has been at the center of many news stories since the fire was deemed the largest wildfire in California’s history on August 6, 2018.
It was formed when two fires, the Ranch Fire and the River Fire, joined together and began being treated as one.
According to InciWeb, the Mendocino Complex fire has burned just under 350,000 acres of land as of Aug. 14, 2018; it is 68 percent contained. The cause of this massive fire is still unknown.
While wildfires are a normal occurrence in the western region of the United States, the dangers and fears surrounding them are still very real.
Evacuations have been issued and over 3,000 wildland firefighters from all over the world have traveled to help get the fire contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Men and women from Utah to as far away as New Zealand and Australia have come to help their fellow fire fighters in the battle.
Photos that have been shared from the site of the fire hardly seem real. They seem to depict a scene from a nightmare rather than real life, but that is unfortunately not the case.
In the midst of the fear and concern over these fires, we often forget just how much of a sacrifice these brave men and women make in order to contain the fire as quickly as possible.
Many of them are leaving their families at home for weeks as they camp outside and work tirelessly and endlessly to save any further destruction.
One picture of 18 men from New Mexico serves as a chilling reminder of just how much they (and others fighting the fire) need our prayers. The photo shows some of these men sleeping on the ground in between shifts. They will be there for about three weeks in total.
Brian Fox, from the Albuquerque Fire Rescue, hopes that the pictures will remind people to keep praying.
He said. “We ask everybody back at home to keep these guys in your thoughts and prayers. They are doing a good thing for the state of New Mexico and the state of California.”
Wildfires are tragic, but thanks to men and women like those from New Mexico the fire will hopefully be contained soon. This is what heroes look like. Our prayers go out to everyone involved.
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