Local firefighters Doug Grandbois and Scott Love, both dressed in blue, are seen here sitting two men to the right of President George W. Bush. Grandbois and Love shook hands with Bush, Sen. Diane Feinstein and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch

When the residents of Southern California became threatened by one of the worst fire disasters in recent memory, it was only the quick arrival of a legion of firefighters from across the state that prevented the catastrophe from reaching biblical levels. Several teams from Amador County dove right in the middle of the colossal undertaking, and now, with the smoke finally clearing, their war stories are coming to light.

Doug Grandbois and Scott Love are bulldozer operators from Amador's local unit of CAL FIRE who found themselves on the front line of the action. The two were dispatched to the menacing Witch Fire in Rancho Bernardo, one of the hardest blazes to contain throughout the disaster. Grandbois and Love headed out Oct. 21 and were soon taking in the magnitude of the situation. "The first few days we were up against big wind blasts," Grandbois said Thursday by phone from Rancho Bernardo. "It was the nastiest fire I've ever seen. It's amazing we didn't lose more houses and people."

Grandbois and Love were part of a dozer team that eventually saved an entire subdivision during the battle, which posed no small risk to the operators themselves - the last firefighter to die in California this year was in fact a dozer operator for CAL FIRE, which happened just three weeks ago in Monterey when the man's dozer rolled in the middle of a blaze. Grandbois and Love's team managed to aid in the rescue efforts without sustaining casualties, though Grandbois expressed deep concern for four firefighters who were badly injured by the same fire while trying to save a victim in a burning house. He said the firefighters had been passing a boot around amongst themselves for donations to the families of their four hurt comrades.

Another local agency to race to Southern California was the Lockwood Fire Protection District. Chief Dave Long, Captain Charlie Tinney and firefighter Martin Cody brought down a water tender. Their crew was directed to the Grass Valley Fire north of San Bernardino, where they worked hard on getting containment. In regard to the fire's power, a tired Long said by phone Thursday, "it was bad enough to keep us pretty busy."

As the tide of the Grass Valley Fire began to turn, Long was glad to see how well organized the local officials were in allowing the army of firefighters to do what they needed to do: "For such a massive effort it was pretty impressive how big of a camp they were able to make for us, and how they were able to find better shelter for everyone when it was raining. Staying there wasn't too bad."

In addition to CAL FIRE and the Lockwood Fire Protection District, Amador County's other various fire agencies put together a coordinated strike team that also took on the Witch Fire. The team consisted of Amador Fire Protection District battalions 10 and 20, the Jackson Valley Fire Protection District, the Jackson City Fire Department and Mule Creek State Prison.

The Jackson City Fire Department's Roc Craig said it was difficult to imagine the harm the fires caused without seeing it up close. "There was a lot of devastation," explained Craig. "There were acres and acres of black and a lot of houses burned to the ground. Overall, it's the worst amount of devastation I've seen in 20 years of being a firefighter."

For Craig, being around the victims of the affected communities was an important part of the experience. "I enjoy being on strike teams because it's fulfilling to help people in that kind of situation. They're always grateful to see you. In this case, the community was really open-armed. Being there for them is the whole reason we do this."

Meanwhile, as the Witch Fire moved into 95 percent containment, the bulldozer operators, Grandbois and Love, were also getting the chance to meet some grateful faces - which included the president of the United States. "We got to meet Sen. Feinstein, Gov. Schwarzenegger, and eventually President Bush," said Grandbois. "They all shook our hands and thanked us." Grandbois felt the gesture helped boost morale. "I appreciated it. For people that high up to thank us personally, it meant something. After all, it's not often a guy from little Amador County gets to meet the president."