While the rest of the western United States watched in horror, firefighters from throughout the area rushed to the scene to battle the heat. Among the fighters were four heroes from the Saratoga Fire Department, who returned from their weeklong journey at 1 a.m. on Nov. 3 from the Cedar fires in San Diego County.

"It feels good to be back," said Capt. Berk Gilson. "But if we had to do it again, we would pack up and go without any hesitation."

Gilson and his crew—Parker Patri, Matt Meadors and Mike Buress—was among the first five strike teams out of 89 from the Bay Area that arrived at the scene. They got the call to head down south at 8 a.m. on Oct. 26 during their usual shift and immediately packed their belongings.

Based on the magnitude of the fire, some of the firefighters said they were not surprised about the call.

"I expected it," Meadors said. "I even prepared my wife about the possibility of being called out."

But the crew was shocked during the latter part of the drive, where it was completely dark aside from the light from the engine and the flames.

"All we could think about was how devastating the situation was," Gilson said. "There were homes burning to the left and right for at least the last 30 miles of the drive. Our initial reaction was to put the fire out, but we couldn't do anything without receiving orders from the commander. It was difficult having to watch the homes burn down and not being able to do anything about it."

After an eight-hour drive, the crew arrived at a camp in Ramona, where they got a 10-minute break and received their first assignment to head to El Cajon. It was there that they protected approximately 100 homes by performing a method called backfiring, in which fighters create a fire at the top of the hill, where it eventually runs downhill and meets the flames of a second fire going uphill, thereby extinguishing one another.

When that assignment was completed, the crew headed to another site that was already burned out. There, they did some damage control and marked hazardous areas. They also recovered valuable items from the flames, items homeowners had left behind.

"This was a pretty tough job to do," Buress said. "You can only imagine the homeowners' reactions when they see what's left of their belongings. It's something that nobody ever wants to experience."

The crew worked tirelessly alongside several other firefighters from other Bay Area cities including Sunnyvale, San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas and Palo Alto for several days.

"There was so much to do," Buress recalled. "We went from one assignment to another. And it was great seeing all of the different agencies working as a team. Everybody took care of one another."

Meadors commented on the kinship that was built among the firefighters.

"We were a big family," he said. "That was important, especially in these times."

Hours turned into days, and soon the firefighters found themselves going on their second day without sleep.

"There was so much adrenaline pumping through our system that we didn't even realize how exhausted we were," Patri said. "We knew what we needed to do and we just did it."

It wasn't until approximately 10 p.m. on Tuesday—three days after they got the initial call—that the men were able to get some respite. The four slept in their engine—Gilson and Buress took the two front seats while Patri lay cramped in the back. Meadors kept watch on the top of the vehicle.

"It wasn't the most comfortable spot to sleep, but the sleep itself was a treat," Meadors said.

However, the rest seemed more of a tease. The crew awoke at 6 a.m. and headed several miles east to Pine Valley, where they salvaged yet another hundred or so homes by eliminating any potential for fire. They cut off branches, cleared vegetation within 10 feet of the structure, shut off all gases in the homes—at least in those that were left unlocked—and located water sources.

Again, the crew jumped from one assignment to another with little time to rest.

"We wanted to stay in the field and do whatever we could to help," Gilson said.

It wasn't until Thursday that the crew was able to sneak in another relatively long break. With the temperature dipping to 34 degrees, they found refuge in the garage of a vacant home, where they slept for the night.

The scene in Southern California was indeed shocking, but the more devastating news for the fighters was probably the loss of a fellow hero from Novato, Steve Rucker.

"A lot of heads went down that day," said Buress. "We never want to hear that about any of the firefighters."

In honor of the fallen hero, all of the firefighters marked a black slash on each of their emblems and engines. The engines also had Rucker's name on them.

Many of the residents opened their homes to the firefighters, offering them hot food and coffee. Some threw barbecues and offered the firefighters their restroom and shower facilities. However, the crew's members had their first showers in almost five days at a Bible camp in Pine Valley.

"The residents were so glad to see us. They took really good care of us," Meadors said. "They're the real heroes."

In addition to receiving volunteer-provided bag lunches, which oftentimes consisted of sandwiches and some type of fruit, the crew also got additional items such as socks and instant meals from the Navy.

During its eight-day stay, the crew trekked approximately 1,300 miles, driving to and from Southern California and jumping from one devastating site to another.