Today marks the anniversary of a wildfire tragedy on the Central Coast, an incident that took the lives of four firefighters.
On August 15, 1979, the Spanish Ranch Fire started off Highway 166 west of New Cuyama and grew quickly. As firefighters attacked it, winds weren't initially an issue.
A four-man crew of Nipomo-based California Department of Forestry firefighters was helping to build a containment line ahead of the fire when strong winds kicked up and they were overrun by the flames.
Ed Marty, Scott Cox, Ron Lorant, and Steve Manley all died from injuries suffered in the fire.
There’s a memorial at the scene of the disaster. Some firefighters battling the Gifford Fire spotted it, cleaned it up, and held a ceremony to honor the firefighters.
