Firefighters Prevent Conflagration - Near Miss

Fire crews responded to the report of a structure fire at El Rancho Mobile Home Park at 1830 E. Yosemite. Upon arrival, they found a mobile home fully-involved with fire and three other mobile homes also on fire. All occupants made it out of the buildings safely.

Firefighters extinguished the exposure fires first and then made an aggressive attack on the main Mobile Home Fire. They were successful in limiting the bulk of the fire damage to one Mobile Home.

Firefighters remained on scene for approximately two hours performing salvage, overhaul, and fire investigation. The fire started from a pot of stew left unattended on the stove. There were no injuries to Firefighters. One occupant was displaced from his home. The American Red Cross responded to assist.

Photo provided by Glenn Kahl

Manteca Fire Crews Assist in Santa Cruz Mountains

Firefighting resources within the Santa Cruz Mountains have been overwhelmed this past week in their efforts to combat a large wildland fire. As such, the City of Manteca is entering the fifth day of having an engine company deployed to assist communities in the Bonny Doon area. The fire engine being used is provided to the City by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) from the State of California and all costs incurred by the City of Manteca are reimbursed.

For the past 24 hours Captain Franco Torrice (above left) and his crew (above right) have been working near the community of Swanson performing “progressive hoselays” to reach fire deep in the forest. They report advancing over 6,000’ of hose yesterday alone.

Our Firefighters report being tired but are all healthy and strong. Thankfully, there have been no injuries.

Firefighters Stop Blaze

Fire crews responded to the report of large grass fire in the area of Louise Ave. and Airport Way. Upon arrival, Firefighters found 10 acres on fire with several large trees burning and fire rapidly impinging on an Industrial Complex. Firefighters aggressively attacked the fire and were successful in stopping it from igniting the nearby buildings. Emergency Callback procedures were initiated and full-time firefighters came in from home as well as several Reserve Firefighters. Reserve Firefighters helped at the scene while the full-time Firefighters staffed the stations and responded to other emergencies within the City. The Lathrop-Manteca Fire District also responded and assisted. Firefighters remained on scene for five hours performing overhaul and assuring the fires were completely extinguished. Photo provided by the Manteca Bulletin.

Manteca Firefighters Respond to Train Derailment

Manteca Firefighters responded to a train derailment in the area of Austin Rd. and Moffat Blvd. Upon arrival, they found several railcars off the track, multiple small fires and an unknown product leaking from a railcar. Firefighters aggressively extinguished the fires and ruled out Hazardous Materials concerns. The leaking product was identified by Firefighters as Ammonium Phosphate, which is a fertilizer. There were a total of 14 Railcars that went off the tracks. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours to assure safety. There were no injuries.

Manteca Firefighters Combat Blaze in Scorching Hot Temperature

Fire crews arrived on the scene of a Modular Home well involved with fire. Additionally, the adjacent residence was beginning to ignite. Firefighters aggressively extinguished the fires while simultaneously provided for salvage to protect the contents of the residence. They were successful in preventing the fire from extending into other residences and prevented further fire extension within the home. All occupants made it out of the building safely as a result of working smoke detectors. They also heard a loud explosion.

Emergency Callback procedures were initiated and off-duty Firefighters came in from home as well as several Reserve Firefighters. Reserve Firefighters helped at the scene while off-duty Firefighters staffed the stations and responded to several other simultaneous emergencies within the City. Firefighters remained on scene for four hours performing salvage, overhaul, and fire investigation.

The Occupants did a nice job getting out of the residence, going to a safe meeting place, and notifying arriving firefighters that everyone was safely out of the house.

State pays City of Manteca back for borrowing Firefighters

The City of Manteca recently received reimbursement from the State of California for the City’s willingness to send a crew of Firefighters to assist the community of Santa Barbara in combating their Wildland Fires. The good news is the compensation exceeded City expenses by more than $12,000 due to the inclusion of administrative costs and local government fees. The excess will be applied to supplement the City’s General Fund.

The City of Manteca’s partnership with the State to house an Office of Emergency Services (OES) fire engine and respond to wildland fires continues to be a Win-Win proposition:

• Communities throughout California receive valuable emergency assistance.
• The OES fire engine can be used as a backup to serve the emergency response needs of the City of Manteca throughout the year.
• State reimbursement for personnel staffing costs typically exceeds City expenses.
• Firefighters gain valuable experience that is brought back to the City of Manteca and serves the citizens well.

Manteca Firefighters Combat Apartment Fire

City of Manteca Firefighters responded to a two-story apartment complex fire. Upon arrival, they found heavy smoke and fire emitting from an upstairs apartment. Additionally, fire had extended into the attic area of the entire complex and was impinging on another apartment unit.

Two crews of Firefighters aggressively extinguished the apartment fires while firefighters from the Aerial Ladder Truck cut a hole in the roof and stopped the attic fire. Other crews simultaneously provided for salvage to protect the contents of the immediate and adjacent residences. Firefighters were successful in preventing the fire from extending into additional units. All occupants made it out of the building safely as a result of working smoke detectors. Firefighters remained on scene for approximately five hours performing salvage, overhaul, and fire investigation.

Partnership with State of California

Firefighting resources within Santa Barbara County have been overwhelmed this past week in their efforts to combat a large wildland fire. As such, the City of Manteca Fire Department is entering the sixth day of having an engine company deployed to assist communities in the Santa Barbara area. The fire engine being used is provided to the City by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) from the State of California.


In turn, the OES fire engine is required to respond to all official mutual aid requests by the State, staffed by Manteca firefighters. The City of Manteca ultimately benefits from this provision with the State, as State reimbursement for personnel staffing costs typically exceeds City expenses, and the OES fire engine can be used as a backup to serve the emergency response needs of the City of Manteca throughout the year. Additionally, firefighters throughout all ranks gain valuable experience that is then brought back to the City of Manteca and serves the citizens well.


For the first 48 hours in Santa Barbara, our OES engine company performed “bump and run” structure protection where firefighters stop the fire from igniting a home and then rapidly move to save another. Manteca Firefighters have made multiple saves over the past week. They report being tired but are all healthy and strong. Thankfully, there have been no injuries to our Firefighters!

Emergency Response

City of Manteca Firefighters combat a vehicle fire on South Union Road near Highway 120. The driver noticed smoke emitting from the engine compartment and exited the freeway.
The driver of the vehicle was not a resident of the City of Manteca which is not unusual. The close proximity of Highway 99 and Highway 120 generate a myriad of vehicle fires and accidents requiring emergency response and mitigation by our City Firefighters. Last year Firefighters responded to over 400 vehicle accidents and approximately half of those were for non-resident drivers.