Firefighter

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

8/18/2021

Special Service Award (Silver)

Around noon on August 18, 2021, the Cache Fire ignited on the east side of Clearlake, in the Dam Road area. The area faced a difficult fire season that year, and weather for the day showed Red Flag conditions – with high temperatures, low humidity, and winds between 10-20 miles per hour. By 1:00 p.m., while Department of Forestry and Fire Protection fire fighters were working to evacuate one of two trailer parks, the fire made a rapid push south into the trailer park, trapping fire fighters and residents. The access road had become blocked. Firefighters worked with a tractor operator to break through a fence to allow trapped individuals a way to escape. Once the fire crew established a way out, a woman was spotted engulfed in flames, coming from the area of the trailer park where other individuals had just fled. CalFIRE Fire Apparatus Engineer Martin Newman, with Firefighters Cory Souza and Jared Gotro, ran back into the fire. With the help of Firefighters Souza and Gotro, Mr. Newman hoisted the victim onto his shoulder and ran 100 feet to safety. The victim would eventually receive treatment at the UC Davis Burn Center. With no regard for his own safety, Mr. Souza went above and beyond the call of duty. The State of California takes great pride in presenting the Silver Medal of Valor to Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Firefighter Cory Souza.