Exploding Wildfires Becomes Largest Ever in California
BALDWIN: One firefighter says he doesn't know when he will see his family again. He says some nights they sleep sitting up right as the flames spread right outside their truck. And now a section of those flames has become the biggest ever in the history of California. This is happening in northern California, on top of the 15 other wild fires burning right now. So, let me just show you this map. This so-called Mendocino Complex fire is the largest. It's two fires combined into one, nearly 300,000 acres scorched, and it has doubled in size in just a couple of days. On the front line, 14,000 firefighters. Day after day, night after night these men and women have been tirelessly battling these dangerous fires. And someone who knows exactly what they are going through and what's at stake is former firefighter Brendan McDonough. Back in the 2013 during the Yarnell Hill fire in Phoenix, he lost all 19 of his friends and fellow firefighters. They were like his family. And so, he is the sole survivor of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew. And he is good enough to join me right now. Brendan, thank you so much for being with us. And thank you so much just for your service and your sacrifice. You know, in the state of Arizona. Can you just first help our viewers understand the magnitude of being on the ground and fighting a fire like this?</s>BRENDAN MCDONOUGH, FORMER YARNELL FIREMEN: I think the best way we can describe it is the news has done a great job of giving insight of what these fires are looking like. But to understand what the men and women are actually carrying, what their weighing. You know, that's a 45-pound pack, that's chain saws, tools, and they're working, you know, 16 plus hour shifts weeks at a time, like you had said. And so, the work is grueling. And the time frame and the pace that they're carrying it's at a high rate and they're just asked to do a lot. And they're continuing to show up and continuing to do the job that they're called to do. I just really commend them for everything they're doing right now. Lot of these men have been doing since March. They started fighting fires in March. And so, here we are in August and there's kind of no end to the sight of the season so far.</s>BALDWIN: What is it like when you're going out to fight such a massive fire and you don't know when you'll see your family again?</s>MCDONOUGH: It's tough. It's tough. You know, it's definitely a motivating factor to put in the work and put in the effort. For me personally when I was out on the line, I would think of the families that were impacted by this and I would remember why we're out here. There's a bigger purpose than just myself. Every moment that you do get to talk to your family, you do get to talk to your children you really cherish and take the time to be able to do that. I remember there were nights where I had opportunities to read my daughter a book, I'd carry children's books with me, so I could read to her. I know a lot of moms and dads that are out there right now are really going through kind of the ringer this gauntlet of doing this since March. And kind of going back and forth and being pushed to the limit. Just having every opportunity that they can, they take to spend with their family when they do go home and do have a minute to talk. It's pretty tough. But we keep on our minds, you know, the bigger purpose and that's helping our communities. It needs to be done. And so, I really commend those that are out there right now making that sacrifice.</s>BALDWIN: It's incredible thinking of you or anyone carrying children's books to the line, you know, just to have on the phone and read them to your kids back home. What so far, we know that these fires have claimed two firefighters and I know that's a loss you know deeply. How do you mourn the loss of a family member yet keep going back to this dangerous work?</s>MCDONOUGH: So, we've actually lost a handful of firefighters recently. We lost a captain on a hot shot crew. We lost two dozer bosses and a firefighter from Redding department as well. And it's really difficult. It's a tough time. You know, the bonds that are created out there, bonded over a period of hard work and grueling work and it takes a team. You know, it takes a family to accomplish what they're accomplishing. So, to be able to stay motivated and to be able to have that compassion and to be able to kind of put things aside and know that there's a bigger purpose to this is kind of what they're going through right now. And it's not easy. But a lot of these men and women to go back out on the line of losing someone, so they have things in place to where they get to go home for a few days and kind of just take some time off. But they're right back at it. It's not -- I wish I had the best answer, but I know they're doing the best job with it.</s>BALDWIN: No, I know they are and we're thinking about them, these men and the women. Brendan, thank you for everything you've done as well. Brendan McDonough, a pleasure. Thank you.</s>MCDONOUGH: Thank you. Appreciate it.</s>BALDWIN: You got it. Back to our breaking news, Rick Gates being cross-examined right now in the Paul Manafort fraud trial. We know President Trump is watching this very, very closely, so we'll talk about what his take away might be coming up.