Mules Help Supply Firefighters at California Wildfire

Though they use satellites, air tankers and radios to battle blazes, firefighters also are turning to a four-legged solution in the wilds of Trinity County.

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is using teams of mules to move supplies to firefighters on the Coffee Fire, which was at 6,098 acres and 45 percent containment Saturday morning, said Jay C. Nichols, of the fire’s command team.

The Trinity Alps pack mules are divided into strings, or teams of five, and haul everything from food to fire hoses, led by Mike McFadin, said Lisa Radosevich-Craig, of the U.S. Forest Service.

Each animal carries about 160 pounds of gear.

The mules normally are used to carry supplies to California Conservation Corps crews on trails, but they’re suited to the rugged terrain, Nichols said. They can travel up to 30 miles in one delivery.

Each string of mules saves a helicopter up to 12 supply trips, Radosevich-Craig said. They were “instrumental” in saving the historic Hodges Cabin in the early days of the fire, she said.

The Trinity Alps has 18 mules, though they’re switched out for each delivery, Nichols said.

“They’re entitled to some rest,” he said.

The mules are “pretty popular” among the firefighters, Nichols said. They are brought to the fire camps but don’t come close to the front lines, he said.

The fires don’t make them nervous, he said.

“The one thing that wigs them out is bees. Other than that, they’re good to go,” he said.

Mules have been used in the Trinity Alps for several years – they helped fight fires last year, too, Nichols said. About 100 mules still are used by the Forest Service.

The mules, which are the offspring of a horse and a donkey, have strong backs and better peripheral vision, making them ideal for the journey, Radosevich-Craig said.