Soldiers, civilians and outside crews have spent three weeks containing the Plaskett Fire on the edge of this Army Reserve post, the War Department said Sept. 16.
The fire started Aug. 26 in Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County. By Sept. 15 it had burned 29,976 acres and was 89 percent contained. Officials said it did not threaten the cantonment. California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 led the fight with the U.S. Forest Service, the post fire and police departments, public works, and plans staff.
Army Col. Jason McKenzie, the garrison commander, said daily training never stopped. “I’m incredibly proud of the tremendous teamwork and dedication the installation and our tenants displayed,” McKenzie said. “The fact that our military training and daily operations continued through these last two weeks illustrates that Fort Hunter Liggett is always mission-ready.”
He also thanked the Army Reserve for emergency funds, Cadence Communities for resident alerts, and the Association of the U.S. Army for N95 masks during poor air quality. “We’re also incredibly grateful for the Army Reserve providing emergency funds, Cadence Communities for sharing command information to keep our residents informed, the Association of the U.S. Army for providing N95 face masks to combat the hazardous air quality, and many others that helped during our time of need,” he said.
Fort Hunter Liggett Fire Chief Aaron Smith said the post still kept crews ready for structure and wildland calls on the installation. “At the same time, we continue to maintain a dedicated initial attack capability for structural and wildland emergencies for the installation,” Smith said. “This allows us to support the larger firefighting effort while continuing to protect our community, infrastructure, and training mission.”
An incident official identified as Clemo praised that local support. “The partnerships that have been created…Chief [Aaron] Smith at Fort Hunter Liggett has done an amazing job taking care of firefighters at the base,” Clemo said. “If there’s anything we’ve learned during incident management, [it] is that we cannot do this alone.”
Army Lt. Col. Loren Baldwin, director of public works, said the incident team had been complimentary. Paul Lewis, director of plans, training, mobilization and security, said an “EOC-Light” and weekend operations worked, but the lasting value was in the after-action fixes. “While our EOC-Light and weekend operations were highly successful, our true victory lies in the lessons learned. We are already leveraging this experience to refine our systems, processes, and communication tools,” Lewis said.
Resident and Army civilian Talia Wesley compared the fire with the earlier Dolan Fire. “I went through the Dolan Fire filled with fear and uncertainty. Facing the Plaskett Fire, I understood exactly what could happen,” she said. “That experience didn’t erase the fear, but it gave me the resilience, strength, and clarity to prepare. I can’t control the flames, smoke, or wind in either event, but I can control my readiness.”
“The Dolan Fire taught me the reality of wildfire danger; the Plaskett Fire showed me how preparation turns fear into action,” she said.
McKenzie said the post will keep checking burned ground, holding fuel breaks, and folding the fire into long-term wildland plans.
