DELAWARE- New pictures were posted Monday of the Delaware Blue Hen crew working hard, trying to get ahead of the Valley Fire near San Diego, one of California's biggest.
Delaware's firefighters started their journey in Arizona and moved on to Southern California. According to the Delaware Forest Service, nearly 18,000 acres have burned there and containment is now at about 87 percent. It was at only 32 percent on Thursday.
Assistant State Forester Kyle Hoyd has been in touch with the crew and unless another assignment comes up, they could be heading home by the end of this week.
"If the weather turns in favor of the states out there that are experiencing fire behavior, I would say that we are probably going to be about done for the year unless something really drastic continues to happen," Hoyd said.
As work is being done, the crew is rated on their performance. The Blue Hens were given terrific reviews for their efforts and did not need supervision as their journey progressed based on their skill level.
"They were very pleased with how well dialed in Delaware's crew was and that is something we focus on," Hoyd added. "We have been pushing hard for the past couple of years to develop a top notch crew from the east coast especially from this small state that can perform at above expectation levels."
According to NBC San Diego, Cal Fire San Diego lifted all evacuation orders and road closures involving The Valley Fire on Friday. Hopefully it is a sign that the blazes are dwindling.
The forest service is waiting on the official decision of whether the firefighters will be able to come home next weekend or if they will be needed for another assignment. Hoyd is highly confident the crew will be back home soon.
