Firefighters protect history at BLM's Carrizo Plain National Monument during Madre Fire

As flames raced across the Carrizo Plain in California, a team of wildland firefighters rushed in—not just to fight fire, but to protect history. The Madre Fire ignited on July 2 and quickly spread across more than 80,000 acres of grasslands and dense brush, impacting Los Padres National Forest and BLM-managed lands, including Carrizo Plain National Monument. It became the second largest wildfire in San Luis Obispo County, California history. More than 1,700 personnel from across the country responded. Among them was Task Force 2653, a crew from Sequoia National Forest made up of firefighters from California, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Texas.

Assigned to the Carrizo Plain, Task Force 2653 was responsible for protecting El Saucito Ranch, home to the oldest standing residence on the Monument. Built around 1878, the ranch house is the only one on the Carrizo Plain continuously occupied from the pioneer era to the modern day. It was last lived in by owners in 1966 and used intermittently until it was vacated in 1984. The home once housed the first post office on the Carrizo Plain, founded in 1882. Today, it’s part of a public interpretive trail and annual guided tour. 

On the evening of July 3, shifting winds pushed the fire toward the ranch. Division Chief Robert Sollami and Captain Colton Buehler quickly repositioned their crew, becoming the only line of defense between the flames and the historic structure.

For more than six hours, they held the line. The crew used both wildland and structure fire tactics, chasing embers that landed on the roof, under the floorboards, and even inside the house, while knocking down flames on all sides of the property. 

Their determination paid off. By night’s end, the El Saucito Ranch House was still standing. The flames had come within feet of the structure, but the crew had held their ground. Aside from some minor damage, the home was intact. It was a rare and remarkable save that preserved a vital piece of California’s heritage.

The crew's fast response, coordination, and refusal to back down made all the difference. Even when the situation looked dire, they stayed calm and committed. Every ember they chased, every flame they knocked down, was part of something bigger than fire suppression. It was about protecting a place that tells the story of the land and the people who came before us.