WESTVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — As wildfires continue to decimate Southern California, a firefighter in Central Illinois is lending some insight into the fight against devastation.

So far, there have been a total of 300,000 evacuations for the areas around Los Angeles. On Friday, one Vermilion County firefighter is sharing his perspective on the situation.

Westville’s Fire Chief, Mark Ames, explained how dry conditions and wind create struggles for firefighters everywhere. While the scale of destruction is different, he said strategies for combating such fires remain consistent.

“Unfortunately, as we know during events like this, we are at the mercy of the wind,” Ames said. “I’m thinking about those crews that are working with minimal relief.”

First responders on the West Coast have bravely put service over safety this week as they battle wildfires. Now, Ames, nearly 2,000 miles away in Westville, explains why fires like these are so tough to combat.

“A wind-driven fire, as we saw this summer, can make a fire just unstoppable,” Ames said.

He also said firefighters in Central Illinois have some experience with similar challenges. He references responses throughout 2024 when dry conditions and wind created destructive field fires.

“This past summer, we had some wind-driven fires both in Champaign County and here in Vermilion County, which took maybe two or three times the number of resources that we generally need to put at it in order to bring those things under control,” Ames said.

Battling wind-driven fires requires increased manpower and water equipment. While Ames acknowledges the magnitude of wildfires in California compared to field fires in Illinois is vastly different, he notes that containment strategies, such as using natural divides and barriers, are relatively universal—whether in Los Angeles or Westville.

“The tactics are what they are, and you have to work the problem, which is what we train to do in the fire service,” Ames said. “They’re certainly equipped properly and ready for what they have to do.”

The fires are ongoing in the area around Los Angeles, with more than 300,000 evacuations and 58 square miles burned in Southern California. So far, the destruction totals more than 10,000 structures destroyed and a death toll of at least 11.