Representative Raul Ruiz tours Fairview Fire command center

Representative Raul Ruiz toured the command center of the Fairview Fire in Hemet Thursday morning to learn about the different agencies and resources that came together to put out the fire.

The tour started with an incident briefing with several agency heads. Then the representative was taken on a brief tour of "basecamp". This is made up of the trailers that act as the command center.

Each trailer serves an important role in the operations of putting out the Fairview Fire.

Representative Ruiz was then taken on a tour of the fire area on Gibbel Road.

There he was shown a home that was burnt down with only the chimney remaining. Fire officials explained how the home had shrubs surrounding it which made it easier to catch on fire.

One issue that fire officials faced last week was residents refusing to follow evacuation orders. The congressman brainstormed a few ideas on how this can be prevented from happening in the future.

“One of the things that we need to do is really educate the public about the orders to evacuate safely," said Rep. Ruiz. "Not doing so not only puts residents' life in danger but dangers the life of firefighters and the deputy sheriffs who are out here trying to evacuate. It pulls resources from combating the fire.”

Rep. Ruiz said he wants to do something now while the fire is fresh on people's minds to better prepare them for wildfires.

Overall he applauded how easily all the agencies were able to come together.

A Cal Fire Representative said he hopes the congressman will take all the information he gathered today to Washington DC for future support.